Iraqi Superleague round 21 best performance: Demarius Bolds

American Guard Demarius Bolds (193-G-84) had an amazing evening in the last round for Nift Al-Basra, receiving a Hoops Agents Player of the Week award for round 21.
The 36-year old player was the main contributor (33 points, eight rebounds) to his team's victory, helping them to beat Al Naft (#1, 15-1) 70-57. Nift Al-Basra is placed at 5th position in Iraqi Superleague. Nift Al-Basra is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 6-5 record. Bolds turned to be Nift Al-Basra's top player in his first season with the team. Former Missouri Western State University star has very solid stats this year. Bolds is in league's top in points (3rd best: 23.1ppg). Worth to mention Bolds played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him get the job in pro basketball.

The second best player in last round's games was another Nift Al-Basra's star - 36-year old international center Ali Hameed (208-C-84). Hameed had a very good evening with a double-double of 11 points and 17 rebounds. Of course together with Bolds he helped Nift Al-Basra with another comfortable win 70-57 over the higher-ranked Al Naft (#1, 15-1) being unquestionably team leader. This victory allowed Nift Al-Basra to move up to 5th position in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 6-5 record is not bad and everything may still change. Hameed is a newcomer at Nift Al-Basra and despite he is not a team leader yet, every game he becomes more reliable player. Hopefully performances like the last one will happen more often.

Third on the list of top players last round was former international swingman Karrar Hamzah (187-G/F-95) of league's top team Al Naft. Hamzah scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Despite Hamzah's great performance Al Naft lost 57-70 to the lower-ranked Nift Al-Basra (#5, 6-5). But his team cannot count on just a single player as he also needs help of the other teammates. That was shocking loss for Al Naft and their fans. Hopefully so far almost perfect season will not turn around. They still have impressive 15-1 record in the league holding top position in the standings. Hamzah plays for a very strong team and Al Naft has many quality players. So achieving that high stats is even more impressive. Hamzah has a very solid season. In 16 games in Iraq he scored 10.4ppg.

Other top performing players last week:
4. Kevin Galloway (200-PG-88) of Al Naft - 14 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists
5. Ihab Al-Zuhairi (209-C-98) of Al Naft - 10 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists
6. Dhulfiqar Al-Hchaimi (202-F-91) of Nift Al-Basra - 12 points and 4 rebounds
7. Ali Aljuboori (167-PG-87) of Nift Al-Basra - 9 rebounds and 5 assists
8. Ali Ismael (199-F-94) of Al Naft - 7 points and 4 rebounds
9. Abdullah Abdullah (187-F) of Al Naft - 5 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists
10. Diyar Abdul-Allah) of Nift Al-Basra - 6 points and 6 rebounds

The Player of the week is selected based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.
The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.
The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3* (REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4* (2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3* (2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3* (3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

The Player of the Week awards are presented by Hoops Agents. Hoops Agents is the most complete website about the agencies and players they represent. With more than twenty years of experience, Hoops Agents is already recognized as the most reliable destination for the players who wish to continue their career in professional basketball and are searching for a reputable and connected representation. Hoops Agents is also most complete source of transactions news.

Tags : DEMARIUS BOLDS, NIFT AL-BASRA, IRAQI BASKETBALL