FRA - Shy and retiring Melain proud of trophy-laden career

PARIS (National Team) - Cathy Melain claims she is shy, but that certainly never prevented her from becoming the most successful French women's player of all time.The 32-year-old shooting guard/forward, a gold medal winner at the 2001 EuroBasket Women, announced her international retirement on Wednesday after 12 years of services with Les Bleues and a total of 227 caps."It was not an

FRA - Retiring Melain earns Mainini praise

PARIS (FIBA World Championship) - French Basketball Federation (FFB) president Yvan Mainini paid tribute to Cathy Melain after the basketball great announced her retirement from the national team.Melain stunned reporters at the FFB ahead of coach Alain Jardel's announcement of his 17-strong squad for the FIBA World Championship in Brazil.The 32-year-old Bourges forward

FRA - Captaincy still unresolved - Bergeaud

PARIS (FIBA World Championship) - France coach Claude Bergeaud is unsure which player will serve as captain of the national team at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.Bergeaud, who unveiled in Paris his provisional 12-man squad for the World Championship in Japan from August 19 to September 3, a group which included NBA superstar Tony Parker, said: "We have no certainties at the moment."Some players don't want the

PAN - New schedule for

PANAMA (FIBA World Championship) - The President of the District Basketball League, Arquimides Bedoya, announced the change of the Metrobasket Tournament schedule to facilitate the Panamian National Team trials in

CZE - Czech women begin preparations

DJERBA (FIBA World Championship for Women) - The EuroBasket winning Czech Republic women's team have gathered for a training camp ahead of the FIBA World Championship for Women on the

FIBA Europe Board decides to

MUNICH (EuroBasket 2007) - The FIBA Europe Board approved a new competition schedule for EuroBasket 2007 that will feature three extra game days. In the new system, 16 teams will play a

USA - Lisa Leslie named WNBA

NEW YORK (WNBA) – Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks was named WNBA Player of the Week for games played Saturday, May 20 through Sunday, May 28. Team USA Leslie scored 34.7 percent of her

ESP - Navarro considers NBA move

BARCELONA (ACB) - Spanish international Juan Carlos Navarro could finally be about to leave Europe for the NBA. The Winterthur Barcelona shooting guard, who was voted most valuable player of the ACB this

CAN - High school scholarship

TORONTO (National Federation) - Canada Basketball and the Canadian School Sport Federation (CSSF) announced today the Canada Basketball/CSSF Scholarship Program. The program will award a total of

ARG - Hernandez concerned for Prigioni

BUENOS AIRES (FIBA World Championship) - Argentina coach Sergio Hernandez is keeping his fingers crossed that Pablo Prigioni's illness is not as serious as has been reported.Prigioni, Tau Ceramica's superstar guard, is suffering from a virus that could rule him out of the Spanish ACB play-offs against Winterthur Barcelona and the FIBA World Championship later this

USA - Suns rout Mavs, even series

PHOENIX (NBA) - Brazil's Leandro Barbosa warmed up for the FIBA World Championship in style by scoring a play-off career high 24 points and Raja Bell returned to action and provided an emotional spark as the Phoenix Suns thrashed the Dallas Mavericks 106-86 to even the Western Conference finals at two games each.Steve Nash added 21 and seven assists for the second-seeded Suns, who reached triple figures for the first time since Game One and finally found a way to