Deng wows basketball fans
By Brian Owen
Luol Deng gave Sussex basketball fans a taste of the NBA, then promised there's still a lot more to come.

The Chicago Bulls star top-scored with 26 points, on 11-for-17 shooting, and added seven rebounds in almost 33 minutes of court time as Great Britain beat Ireland 87-59 in a Eurobasket warm-up at K2 in Crawley.

Deng played every role on the floor at various times and provided a sizeable crowd with several highlights, most notably a drive and two-handed dunk over a pair of startled defenders.

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He admitted: "It was fun to come and play in front of the English kids. We've got a good team but we've still got players to come back so we can be even better."

As much as for his scoring, Deng caught the eye with his defensive effort and unselfish approach.

He added: "We are trying to build our team so the best thing we can do is play unselfishly and get everyone involved."

Richard Midgley, the point guard from Burgess Hill, displayed a nice shooting touch and went 5-for-9 from the field for his 12 points, allied to plenty of energetic effort defensively.

The teams meet again at K2 tonight (7.30), tickets £10 on the door.

http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/argusgener...etball_fans.php


I think this is pretty cool. Deng is getting expirience at the 1 and 2. Plus he developing some hard core leadership skills. Its too bad Gordon hasn't decided to join the GB team. I think together, they would tear up international competition, and it would really improve their chemistry. I guess for now, we must settle for pops and deng. God, I can't wait for the preseason to start... I need to take care of my basketball fix.

Deng is going to tear up the second rate competition, and it will give him a chance to learn more skills in a much easier setting.

It will be easier for him to work on his playmaking and post play bc its easier, but its still competitive organized bball, so that should be better than just working in a gym

its seems that Thabo has also ran out of bubble gum

Irish lose out to Switzerland
Saturday, 25 August 2007 22:45
Ireland opened their European campaign with a 86-58 loss to Switzerland in the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght on Saturday evening.


Switzerland had Thabo Sefolosha in their ranks and the Chicago Bulls star proved a consistent thorn in Ireland's side.


The Swiss raced into a 16-5 lead with Derek Stockalper's three pointer the highlight of the early stages. It was harsh on Greg Gurr's charges, who went close on a number of occasions. Emmet Donnelly did manage to find the basket and a free throw from Jason Killeen gave the home side some hope.


However, the visitors continued to pile on the pressure with the Sefolosha brothers causing havoc and Kgomotso also getting in on the scoring act.

Further baskets from Nicolas Porchet and Stockalper left Switzerland with a handsome 23-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter.


Emmanuel Schmitt's side were in no mood to ease up and got the second quarter off to a flier with Valentin Wegmann netting an early basket.

A gutsy display from 211cm Killeen was rewarded with a basket and Ireland cut the gap to 17 points. The comeback didn't last long though and the impressive Stockalper restoring the Swiss' 19 point advantage.

Hoops star Ian O'Boyle got his name on the scoresheet with a two pointer soon after to mark the most encouraging spell for Ireland in the game.


The lively home support were able to produce their loudest cheer of the night seconds later when Issac Westbrooks struck a superb three pointer to maintain a lively spell for the home side.

The sides traded points with Seflolosha's basket being cancelled out by Killeen. Ireland's desire to eat into their visitor's lead gathered momentum when Conor Grace of the Marian club put another three on the scoreboard.


A basket and a free throw from Thabo Sefolosha and Maxime Jaquier respectively kept a wide distance between the sides but this half certainly represented a more positive spell for the Irish.


Trailing by 36-20 heading into the third quarter, Ireland needed a bright start to the third, but it was Switzerland with three three-pointers from Kgomotso Sefolosha and Maxime that left Ireland's hopes of a comeback hanging by a thread.

The margin was increasing and by the time Bulls star Thabo was hanging out of the basket midway through the period, Ireland were behind 51-25.


Ireland put the skids on Switzerland's dominance with baskets from Donnelly, Colin O'Reilly and Killeen, but a further three points from Kgomotso Sefolosha had the Swiss in complete control.
Liam Farrell kept his nerve in the closing moments with a basket but Ireland headed into the final quarter with it all to do.

A three from O'Boyle gave Ireland a fine start to the fourth period, but Ireland had a veritable mountain to climb.

A further basket from Grace and a three from Paul Cummins gave Ireland a better look to the scoreboard.

But Oliver Vogt and a three from Wegmann ensured that it would be the visitors leaving with maximum points from the opening games.


O'Boyle and Cummins rallied late with three pointers. Ireland warranted a bigger return from their performances in the first and second quarters, but it proved to be the Thabo Sefolosha show, with the Swiss winning out 86-58.


Top Scorers

Ireland
Paul Cummins - 11
Conor Grace - 9
Justen Naughton, Ian O'Boyle, Stephen King - 6

Switzerland
Thabo Sefolosha - 23
Valentin Wegmann - 13
Derek Stockalper, Kgomotso - 11

Thabo might just be my favorite player on the Bulls.

BRITAIN TAKE STEP TOWARDS TOP FLIGHT
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Great Britain took another significant step towards promotion to European basketball's top flight with an easy 83-64 win over Holland in Almere.

Luol Deng again led all scorers with 27 points, with assistance from centre Andrew Betts, who had 13, and guard Mike Lenzly with 12.

As they had against Slovakia a week earlier, Britain made a steady start, posting an early 11-4 lead with two baskets from centre Betts.

Deng then scored the next seven GB points for an 18-10 lead before a three-pointer from Kees Akerboom enabled the hosts to pull the deficit back to 21-15.

The only concern for Britain will be that forward Robert Archibald, who has been troubled with ankle problems this summer, once again came out of the game early, being substituted in the second quarter.

Archibald appeared to jar his ankle when fouled on his way to the basket.

Lenzly hit a three to start the second quarter for GB and a three-point play from captain Andrew Sullivan brought Britain's first 10-point lead of the night at 27-17.

A three and two single free throws from Deng promised a 20-point lead by half-time, but a combination of turnovers, poor foul shooting and Dutch resilience derailed that and Chris Finch's team had to settle for a 13-point advantage at the break, with Deng already having 18 to his name.

That 20-point lead duly arrived with three minutes 39 seconds remaining of the third quarter, when a pull-up jump-shot from Nate Reinking took GB's advantage to 61-40, with Deng already having amassed 27.

A run of 13 unanswered points either side of the third quarter break brought the lead to an imperious 30 points at 76-45.

That left the the Dutch, who were led by Akerboom's 20 points, to gain some respectability in front of a subdued 4,000 crowd in a new arena.

Deng makes the difference
THE major problem Albania managed to pose to Great Britain and their Chicago Bulls star Luol Deng in Edinburgh over the weekend were the repeated knocks on his hotel room door for autograph requests from visiting players.

But as Deng's fledgling international career continued in its hugely impressive manner - three competitive games and three victories by the huge margins of 25, 19 and 32 points - the 6'7" forward is acutely aware that the toughest tests lie ahead over the next two weeks.

GB visit Minsk to take on Belarus on Wednesday with the winners advancing to the four-team, two-legged play-off semi-finals from which the two victors will be promoted to the A Division of the European Championship, the minimum requirement the Brits need to be assured of an invitation to play in the 2012 Olympic basketball tournament as hosts.

Deng sauntered through his latest successful outing, as one would expect of a player who belongs at an altogether different level to Albania's game but hopelessly outmatched part-timers. Deng did not even attempt a shot for the first three and a half minutes, a self-imposed drought broken with an astonishing baseline dunk, and his efforts to share the ball with his team mates, particularly Scotsman Robert Archibald, spoke volumes of his selfless play on national duty.

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The policy also worked with Archibald, playing in his homeland for the first time in a decade, eventually top scoring with 21 points, two more than Deng and four more than 7'1" Sevilla centre Andy Betts.

"It was certainly a different style," said Deng of the Albanians. "It was one of those games where I didn't want to try and play their style because it might have taken me away from what I was trying to do. I didn't want to just run up and down getting shots off.

"We were so much bigger inside with Rob and Andy that I wanted to get the ball to them and it was nice that Rob did so well here in Scotland. I told him I was going to look for him and throw the ball into him every chance I got. He has been bothered by a back injury but he wanted to play in front of the Scottish fans and it was great he top scored.

"I'm definitely enjoying playing for GB and now we know what a big game Belarus is. Our goal is to win these last three games and that's what keeps me focused and motivated. We're on the right path, we've just got to keep going."

GB even had the luxury of being able to rest starting point guard Richard Midgley in the Albanian rout, the youngster suffering a recurrence of a knee injury and remaining on the bench at Meadowbank to ensure his fitness for Minsk.

Although Albania scored the game's first basket, for a 3-0 lead, Deng's opening score put the home side 12-4 in front and the outcome was as good as settled. The only slight concerns for GB coach Chris Finch will have been his team's continued poor free-throw shooting (9 of 16 for a woeful 56.2 per cent) and the fact that Albania's high points tally included 11 of 18 successful three-point attempts, a worryingly high 61.1 per cent success rate.

Table (won/lost/pts): 1. Great Britain 5/2 12, 2. Belarus 5/2 12, 3. Slovak Republic 4/4 12, 4. Netherlands 4/3 11, 5. Albania 0/7 7

GB: Archibald 21, Deng 19, Betts 17, Reinking 13, Sullivan 13, Lenzly 12, Sanders 8, Huggins 5, Haslam 2.

Albania: Bilali 24, Kasmi 23, Shima 12, Cuka 9, Lame 5, Cane 3, Garo 2.

BRITS EXTEND RUN
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Click here for post-match reaction


Great Britain sealed their place in Europe's divisional play-offs with an 83-51 win against Belarus in Minsk.

It was a tough game which both teams - the best units in the group - needed to win if they were to advance towards next year's European Championship 2009 qualifying matches.

GB now face a two-leg tie on September 11 and 15 against Finland, Georgia, Switzerland or Romania, their opposition being determined by games played later in other groups.

Reduced to nine men by the absence of 6ft 10in forward Chris Haslam - whose wife has just given birth - Chris Finch's team, riding high on a six-match unbeaten run, completed their fourth straight qualifying win with the help of 27 points from Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng and 12 from centre Andrew Betts.

Betts established himself in the heart of the GB defence and only rarely allowed the Belarus forwards, including the 7ft Aleksandr Koul, a chance to work and score unhindered.

Overall, it was once again Great Britain's defensive intensity that was the crucial factor.

They killed off Belarus' resurgence after half-time by holding them to just 21 points in the second half and a mere five in the last quarter.

After the scare of having Deng called for two fouls in the opening minute, Britain cruised away from their hosts with a 15-2 streak for a 24-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

But Vladimir Verameyenka and Arseni Kuchinski brought Belarus back in the second quarter and GB's eight-point half-time lead (38-30) looked even more precarious when Igor Mescheriakov opened the third quarter with a three-pointer.

But a three from Richard Midgley and another from Deng studded an 18-5 run which effectively ended Belarus' resistance.

Deng had nine points in that run and his defensive intuition in the fourth quarter, snaring a pair of steals, started an 8-0 run which started the crowd cheering his and Great Britain's effort, before the fans started heading for the exits.







Don't look now, but Deng is becoming scary good... I think we will be watching him in the olympics

I don't want to be Debbie Downer, but has he faced any quality defenders yet?

No NBA names. They will come after Deng carries them into the competitive leagues.

Oh yeah, and in the mini playoff GB is going to have to win for promotion there is a chance they will play Selfosha's Swiss team.

That could be fun.

especially bc they'd definately guard eachother

unlike when noc and kirk matched up for the bronze game at the fiba worlds last summer

Looks like the Deng is going to face Selfosha in the biggest games of their summer. Shame with all the money I'm throwing at direct TV that I still won't be able to catch it.


DENG HOPING TO SEE OFF SEFALOSHA
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By Ian Parker, PA Sport

A team-mate now stands in the way of Luol Deng fulfilling his international ambitions this summer.

In the last two months, the Chicago Bulls star has led Great Britain to four straight wins, allowing the Britons to force their way into a two-game play-off for promotion into Europe's Division A of basketball nations.

That promotion is critical to their hopes of playing in the 2012 Olympics on home soil.

But Deng and Great Britain have been drawn against Switzerland - and Deng's fellow Bull Thabo Sefalosha - for the play-off series which tips off in Sheffield on Tuesday.

"I'm real excited about it," Deng said of the match-up against his team-mate.

"With the way things work out, you know I'd rather play someone else and see (Switzerland) go through too, but I'm still excited. I play against him all year in practice so it's going to be really good.

"You just have to accept the challenge and hopefully it will bring the best out of both of us."

Deng, who is Sudanese-born but grew up in London after his family sought political asylum, has spent the last two months with the Great Britain team, leading the scoring in three of the last four games as the British reeled off wins over Slovakia, Holland, Albania and Belarus to snatch the final play-off berth.

It has been a major commitment for the only Bull to figure in all 92 regular-season and play-off games for Chicago last season to make.

It has not always been easy, but Deng has never wavered in his dedication to the cause.

"I'm not going to lie, it's had its ups and downs," Deng said of the last two months.

"The commitment has been tough. You don't get to spend as much time as you could with your family, but you have to understand the situation and my family understands the situation. That's the tough part. Basketball-wise, it's been great. It's been great being here and playing with these guys."

With two months of work behind them, success or failure now comes down to their ability to beat Switzerland and secure promotion.

"This is a big game. It feels like the (NBA) play-offs," Deng said. "You've given your summer to try and do this so you want to try and get the best result so you know it's been a good decision. It's been a good decision so far, so you want to make sure you get the job done."

With Deng on board, Great Britain go into the series as the clear favourite.

"I don't have a problem labelling us (as favourites) but the thing we have to guard against is complacency after such a good performance in the group," said coach Chris Finch, who saw his team rout Belarus 83-51 last week behind 27 points from Deng.

"We've talked about the fact we have no margin for error. To get to the play-off games we had to win all four and we can't take a break from that mentality."

The key to recent successes has been the way that Deng and other new arrivals in the squad - including former Memphis Grizzlies draft pick Robert Archibald - have been quickly integrated.

"I think the key has been how all the guys have got along," said team captain Andrew Sullivan.

"There's a lot of egos here, everyone wants to do their part, but a lot of guys have taken a bit of a back seat to try and fit in because everyone believes in what we're trying to do.

"You speak to people on other national teams who say it can be a bit of a nightmare when you get guys in from the NBA or the other big leagues around Europe and that you get a lot of personality clashes, but I think here our personalities seem to have complimented each other."

If Great Britain can clinch promotion with victory in this series - Game Two is in Switzerland on Saturday - they will be well on course for the 2012 Olympics.

HOOP DREAMS IN BRITAIN

Deng a hot commodity in Europe
Bulls forward has eyes on Olympic bid, not new deal

By Mark Woods
Special to the Tribune

September 10, 2007, 8:06 PM CDT


EDINBURGH, Scotland -- The autograph demands are relentless.

The buzzer has sounded only seconds before, but the pens are out—not from fans, from opposing players. They have seen this Chicago Bull perform even greater feats on TV, and though he has helped his national team crush their hopes, they want a souvenir of the moment.



But this is neither Barcelona '92 nor Michael Jordan.

This is in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, and the Sharpies are being uncapped by vanquished Albanians and put into the hand of Luol Deng. The scene is witnessed by 2,000 Union Jack wavers gathered to watch Britain edge closer to a berth in the 2012 Olympic Games in the young Bull's adopted home city of London.

"The UK took my family in when we left the Sudan," Deng says. "I feel I want to put something back."

To earn an invitation to the Olympics, Britain must first earn promotion to Europe's A Division. It will play the first of a two-game finals series Tuesday night against Switzerland, led by Bulls compadre Thabo Sefolosha.

This odyssey and the diverse nature of FIBA basketball, Deng claims, has raised his game even closer to All-Star level. Whether desired or not, he has been anointed the leader of Britain's crew.

And he is confronting the new challenges straight on.

"After a while, your IQ adjusts and expands to the style here," he says. "The NBA is more one-on-one. Here they call the three-second rules, the zone defenses. That makes it harder to drive in the lane. A lot of times, I might be ball-watching, and in European basketball, you get punished for that. All of this will make me better."

Mostly, Deng has been the one dishing out the punishment in settings as diverse as Croatia, France and Belarus, where British Basketball Federation officials were so wary of the local hospitality that they transported their food for the two-day trip. So far, Deng leads Britain with 23.5 points per game, 4.7 assists and 2.0 blocks. Only a three-point percentage of 22.2 percent has darkened the sheet.

"I definitely worked on my range," he says. "But I also worked on my ballhandling and my post play. I'm a lot stronger."

If that is music to the ears of Bulls coach Scott Skiles, it has been manna from heaven to British head coach Chris Finch. A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., he has harnessed Deng's NBA skills while tempering his instinct to try to do too much. But in a land where soccer rules supreme, Britain's basketball ambition has been to win hearts and minds as well as games.

"We have to shake off this mentality here that basketball is an American sport," Finch says. "It's not anymore. It's a worldwide sport. I always tell people that Brazilians don't see soccer as British. But that's where guys like Luol come in, where people can come along to our games and see him on TV, and identify with him."

No. 9 is still a blip on the UK's radar, but the scanner, at least, is picking him up. There was an appearance on the BBC's nightly news, attention from outside the small group of reporters who cover the sport. This may be small-time compared to the NBA playoffs, but the Luol Effect, however peripheral, has been noticed.

"I felt like after the year I had, and being with GB, it was going to happen," says Deng. "I just play basketball. That kind of thing takes care of itself. I don't think that I have to do anything spectacular."

Ultimately, how impressive those efforts will have been will be determined Saturday in Geneva. Then it is back to Chicago and different dreams. Plus, the small matter of a new Bulls contract to consider.

"Hopefully it will happen before training camp," he says.

His autograph perfected, it is just one more item for him to sign.



Copyright © 2007, The Chicago Tribune




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