There were only 2 rounds played so far and it's still very beginning of the Second Stage in Superleague.
First defeat of league's leader Naft Abadan (1-1) against Arak (2-0) 69-61 was the most important game of the last round. Naft Abadan trailed by 13 points at halftime and as many as 14 after three quarters before a 19-13 last quarter charge cut the deficit to 61-69 at the end of the game. Arak forced 19 Naft Abadan turnovers. American-Georgian forward Quinton Hosley (201-84, college: Fresno St.) orchestrated the victory by scoring 20 points and 6 rebounds. International center Asghar Kardoust (212-86) contributed with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. American-Ivorian guard Doron Perkins (189-83, college: Santa Clara) replied with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals for Naft Abadan. Naft Abadan will play next round against Army trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Arak will try to continue on its current victory against Tabriz at home. Azad edged Petrochimi in Tehran 70-67. International Adnan Doraghi (190-89) scored 23 points and 8 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Sina Hadizadeh chipped in 9 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. International Behnam Yakhchali (196-95) responded with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Petrochimi's coach Mehran Shahintab rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Petrochimi will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest in order to get back on the winning path. Azad will try to continue on its current victory against Petrochimi at Bandar Imam. Shahrdari Gorgan (0-1) recorded a loss at the home court on Monday night. Hosts were edged by Chemidor (1-1) 76-74. Daequan Cook notched 36 points (!!!) to lead the effort. Chemidor's coach Javad Rahmatipour used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. Even a double-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists by Mahdi Moradinasab did not help to save the game for Shahrdari Gorgan. Chemidor will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Shahrdari Gorgan will play again against Chemidor in Tehran and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Shahrdari Gorgan (0-1) recorded a loss at the home court on Monday night. Hosts were edged by Chemidor (1-1) 76-74. The guests took control from the first minutes by winning first half. But Shahrdari Gorgan won third quarter 20-19. However it was not enough to take a lead and get a victory that evening. American guard Daequan Cook (195-87, college: Ohio St.) notched 36 points (!!!) to lead the effort and K Riaie supported him with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks (perfect from the field making all seven shots !!!). Chemidor's coach Javad Rahmatipour used a ten-player rotation in such tough game. Even a double-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists by center Mahdi Moradinasab (202-92) did not help to save the game for Shahrdari Gorgan. The former international center Mohammad Shahsavand (210-77) added 17 points for the hosts. Chemidor will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Shahrdari Gorgan will play again against Chemidor in Tehran and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers: Gorgan: M.Shahsavand 17+2reb+1ast, M.Moradinasab 15+10reb+4ast, M.Hoseinpour 14+4reb, M.Shirjang 8+1reb+2ast, S.Abramian 6+6reb+1ast, K.Ahmadian 6+4reb+1ast Chemidor: D.Cook 36+4reb+2ast, I.Zandi 15+6reb, K. Riaie 14+12reb+1ast, P.Kiani 4+1reb, A.Amini 4+6reb+4ast, P.Cukinas 2+1reb
First defeat of league's leader Naft Abadan (1-1) against Arak (2-0) 69-61 was the most important game of the last round. Naft Abadan trailed by 13 points at halftime and as many as 14 after three quarters before a 19-13 last quarter charge cut the deficit to 61-69 at the end of the game. Arak forced 19 Naft Abadan turnovers. American-Georgian forward Quinton Hosley (201-84, college: Fresno St.) orchestrated the victory by scoring 20 points and 6 rebounds. International center Asghar Kardoust (212-86) contributed with a double-double by scoring 14 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. Four Arak players scored in double figures. American-Ivorian guard Doron Perkins (189-83, college: Santa Clara) replied with a double-double by scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals and the former international center Meisam Mirzaei (210-92) added 10 points and 7 rebounds in the effort for Naft Abadan. Naft Abadan will play next round against Army trying to make it back to the top of the standings. Arak will try to continue on its current victory against Tabriz at home. Top scorers: Naft Abadan: D.Perkins 23+10reb+5ast, M.Mirzaei 10+7reb, S.Davarpanah 8+1reb+4ast, E.Salmani 8+3reb, M.Hassanzadeh 7+2reb, M.Reza Akbari 3+1reb Arak: Q.Hosley 20+6reb+2ast, D.Williams 15+3reb+3ast, A.Kardoust 14+12reb+1ast, A.Davoudi 10+6reb+3ast, H.Afagh 6+4reb, M.Heydari 2
Azad edged Petrochimi in Tehran 70-67. Petrochimi was ahead by 6 points at the halftime before a 25-10 third quarter run of Azad. Strangely Petrochimi outrebounded Azad 45-33 including 31 on the defensive glass. Petrochimi was plagued by 25 personal fouls down the stretch. International Adnan Doraghi (190-89) scored 23 points and 8 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and Sina Hadizadeh chipped in 9 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. International Behnam Yakhchali (196-95) responded with 17 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists and American swingman James White (201-82, college: Cincinnati, agency: Three Eye Sports) scored 14 points and 6 rebounds. Petrochimi's coach Mehran Shahintab rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Petrochimi will have a break next week, which should allow them to rest in order to get back on the winning path. Azad will try to continue on its current victory against Petrochimi at Bandar Imam. Top scorers: Petrochimi: B.Yakhchali 17+9reb+5ast, J.White 14+6reb, M.Jamshidi 10+1reb+1ast, G.Robinson 8+4reb+1ast, O.Sahakian 7+10reb, R.Lotfi 5+3reb Azad: A.Doraghi 23+8reb, F.Sabouri 10+6reb, B.Koochoie 10+3reb+3ast, S.Hadizadeh 9+7reb+2ast, A.Baheran 8+3reb+2ast, M.Yousofvand 3+4reb
TEHRAN (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Iran forward Mohammad Jamshidi(199-SF-91) considers the opportunity to play at home as a tremendous honor that he will not trade for anything else. "It's always an honor to play for your country in front of your family and your people," he said. "There is nothing better than representing and having a good performance for your country." Jamshidi, among the All-Star Five at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, where Iran finished second to Aus... [read more]
TEHRAN (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - Iran forward Mohammad Jamshidi (199-SF-91) considers the opportunity to play at home as a tremendous honor that he will not trade for anything else.
"It's always an honor to play for your country in front of your family and your people," he said. "There is nothing better than representing and having a good performance for your country."
Jamshidi, among the All-Star Five at the FIBA Asia Cup 2017, where Iran finished second to Australia, believes his national team has enough talent to beat any team in the region.
"No one is safe from us" Jamshidi recently said. "We can beat anyone no matter who the opponent is."
Iran, of course, still remember how the Boomers dropped the boom on them in the Asia Cup 2017 Final, but Jamshidi knows that Team Melli were missing a couple of key players in that game.
"Losing to Australia was so sad for us," he recalled. "We were mostly young players there and played pretty well in the tournament but still I can say if we had more time to recover after that hard Semi-Final against Korea, we could have beaten Australia in the Final." The 26-year-old guard-forward believes that with a more complete roster, especially one that includes Samad Nikkhah Bahrami and Behnam Yakhchali, Iran can certainly pull the rug from under Australia.
"The team really missed Samad Nikkhah Bahrami," he said. "With him, we play better basketball, and with me, Behnam and Samad all on the court, we definitely can beat Australia."
Jamshidi certainly cannot be faulted for feeling very confident. Iran, armed with a more complete pool of talent in the second window, romped through their Asian Qualifiers assignments last month. They manhandled erstwhile unbeaten Kazakhstan, 75-54, and then trampled all over Iraq, 83-53, to bump their win-loss record up to 3-1. Those results propelled Iran into the second round, where they will be grouped with the Philippines, either Japan or Chinese Taipei and, you guessed it, old nemesis Australia. What will make their future encounter with the Boomers quite different is that Iran will have a chance to play Australia at home, and Jamshidi knows Team Melli will put up a much stronger front as their hometown fans cheer them on. Playing at home is actually one of the things that Jamshidi loves about the New Competition System. For the 6ft 7in (1.99m) wingman, it's a meaningful privilege to play in front of his fellow Iranians.
"We have this chance to play in our country, and so we have this home court advantage that we didn't have before," he said. "This is a really big chance for us to beat all of our opponents here in Iran. It's an amazing experience for me playing in front of our fans." One other quality of the New Competition System that Jamshidi likes is how the windows are spread throughout the calendar year, which enables teams to change players up, especially those who may have been injured and therefore, missed some earlier fixtures.
"There's a big difference now," he explained. "In past Asian tournaments, we had 8 games in almost 10-11 days, and that was so hard to play. Additionally, if you have an injured player, he will miss all the games. If he is the key player, then its over."
Moving forward, Jamshidi, who counts legendary basketball player Michael Jordan as his main playing influence, knows that for Iran to, indeed, reach their potential they must all work hard. Jamshidi himself is proud of how he really puts in a lot of time into preparation, and this leads to oftentimes having good performances for the national team. "Michael Jordan was really inspiring for me, and I was watching his highlights almost everyday," Jamshidi remembered fondly. "Whoever knows me knows how hard I work just like MJ. I watch basketball games almost everyday, and I try to practice whatever I learn. I believe everything comes from hard work and dedication."
Iran next travel to Qatar to play Al Annabi on 29 June and then host Kazakhstan on 2 July to close out their Asian Qualifiers first round campaign.
MIKE HARRIS Defending champion Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (LBL) landed experienced 34-year old American small forward Mike Harris (198-107kg-83, college: Rice). He played recently at Petrochimi in Iranian Superleague. Harris also played for Sturgeons in Chinese CBA earlier that season where in 38 Superleague games he averaged impressive 20.2ppg, 11.7rpg, 2.7apg and 1.5spg this season. He has tried to make it to the NBA and played in the NBA Pro Summer League in 2012. Among other achievem... [read more]
MIKE HARRIS
Defending champion Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut (LBL) landed experienced 34-year old American small forward Mike Harris (198-107kg-83, college: Rice). He played recently at Petrochimi in Iranian Superleague. Harris also played for Sturgeons in Chinese CBA earlier that season where in 38 Superleague games he averaged impressive 20.2ppg, 11.7rpg, 2.7apg and 1.5spg this season. He has tried to make it to the NBA and played in the NBA Pro Summer League in 2012. Among other achievements Harris won Chinese CBA championship title in 2016. He received also Asia-Basket.com All-Chinese CBA Player of the Year award and Asia-Basket.com All-Chinese CBA Import Player of the Year award in 2016. Harris is a very experienced player. He has quite traveled the world as his pro career brought him to five different countries on three different continents (Asia, Latin America and of course North America). Harris has played previously professionally in Kuwait (Al Qadsia), Puerto Rico (Leones), Ukraine, NBA (Houston Rockets, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves) and China (Golden Bulls, Jiangsu Dragons, Blue Whales, Leopards and Eagles). Harris attended Rice University until 2005 and it is his 13th (hopefully lucky) (!!!) season in pro basketball.
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