365

This is my New Year's Resolution folks! I pledge right here and now to write no less than 365 posts in the year 2015, that means one for every day. Don't ask me what about, but do come back to find out. Happy New Year to all of you!

Weekend Basketball

Not so many games this weekend but all quality ones.

On Friday fans can warm up their vocal cords starting from 15:00 in the Sala Sporturilor City Arena. That's the starting time of the BC Mures 2 - CN Aurel Vlaicu game, counting for the Liga 1 regular season. George Trif's team will play against Dimitris Rasty's former outfit. In the first game, BC Mures 2 won on the road 40-82. We can expect a high scoring game from the hosts with many 3 point shots.

After the warm up there is the main event of the weekend, BC Mures hosting Energia Tirgu Jiu also in the City Arena starting at 18:00. Both teams need the win to stay in contention for the playoffs. Before the game, fans can donate toys, food, books, money, etc. to help needy children. There will also be teddy-bear throwing right before the tip-off. 

On Saturday morning, starting at 11 o'clock in the UPM Gym, BC Mures LPS will face Viitorul Cluj Napoca in the U18 category. In the first leg BC Mures lost in Cluj-Napoca by one point. We can look forward for a tightly fought game that will entertain the fans.

Weekend basketball

This weekend in Tirgu Mures:

Saturday, 10 o'clock, Petru Maior University Gym
LPS BC MURES TIRGU MURES - CSS TIRGU JIU (U18M) 71-65

Sunday, 8:30, Sala Sporturilor City Arena
CS MURESUL TIRGU MURES - BALLER BUCURESTI (U16M) 100-70
Ionel Brustur's team finished the regular season with 10 out of 10 wins to qualify for the semifinal phase.

Sunday, 9 o'clock, LPS Gym
BC SIRIUS TIRGU MURES - LPS ARAD (U16F)

Sunday, 10:30, Petru Maior University Gym
BC MURES 2 TIRGU MURES - ENERGIA 2 TIRGU JIU (Liga 1 M) 105-61
Scorers: Oprea Adrian 16, Engi Dávid 16 (4x3), Barabási Csongor 13 (2x3), Rasty Dimitris 12 (1x3), Potocoava Madalin 11, Ilicov Florin 10, Baki Szilárd 9 (1x3), Bölöni Tamás 6, Tibirna Lucian 6, Botos Vilmos 4, Szabó Dávid 2, Ștefan Andrei.
George Trif's team is in 3rd place with 17 point from 10 games. They are in first place though among the first division satellite teams. The first two teams qualify for the semifinal phase.

Sunday, 12:30, Petru Maior University Gym
LPS BC MURES TIRGU MURES - CSS SF. GHEORGHE (U16M) 92-55
George Trif's squad finishes with a 6-4 win-loss ratio and qualifies for the semifinal phase from 3rd place.

Sunday, 17:30, Sala Sporturilor City Arena
BC SIRIUS TIRGU MURES - NAPOCA BASCHET SCHOOL CLUJ-NAPOCA (Liga 1 F) 65-71
Moldovan Razvan's girls couldn't hold on to a 14 point half time lead, and lost to NBS Cluj-Napoca in a tight finish.

Enjoy!

BC Mures 2 Defeated in the Capital

BC Mures 2 put up a valiant performance against Liga 1 powerhouse Dinamo, but had to conceit to a

91-68 defeat. BC Mures fielded all ten of their players in the game, from which seven put points on the scoresheet.

BC Mures played with: Potcoava 18 points, Engi 14 (4x3), Rasty 14 (1x3), Boloni 11 (2x3), Oprea 5 (1x3), Barabasi 4 (1x3), Ilicov 2, Tibirna, Baki and Botos. 

Sibiu not a challenge for BC Mures 2

On Sunday BC Mures lost in Sibiu against CSU in the National League after squandering a 10 point halftime lead.

Engi Dávid

On Monday BC Mures 2 had the chance to avange this defeat, when they welcomed CSU Sibiu 2 in the Sala Sporturilor City Arena. And avange they did.

The game started well for the home team who got into a 13-2 lead, but the guests came back and held the rhythm until 20-20. After that George Trif's  outfit put down the throttle and never looked back. At halftime the score was 57-26 and the difference kept growing until the end, unmindful of some nice 3 point shots from Sibiu. 

The final score 116-69 shows that the team is on the right track, but they still have a lot of work to do to match up to teams like Dinamo or Știinta Bucuresti.

BC Mures played with the following roster: Engi 30 points (6x3), Rasty 22 (1x3), Barabási 19 (2x3), Potcoavă 16, Oprea 10, Bölöni 9, Baki 3, Botos 3, Ilicov 2, Szabó 2, Ștefan.

Basketball Weekend

This weekend there will be quite a few games to watch.

On Saturday BC Sirius plays against CSS Botosani in the U18 category. The game will be held in Reghin, in the Parc Tineretului Gym, starting at 16:00.

On Sunday BC Mures LPS has two games in the Petru Maior University (UPM) Gym. Starting at 11:00, counting for the U16 category, BC Mures will meet CSU Brasov. Following this, in the U18 category, the same two clubs will face off, but with different rosters.

On Sunday afternoon at 17:00 BC Mures will play in Sibiu against CSU Atlassib Sibiu in the National League. The game will be live on Digisport 2.

On monday, in Liga 1, BC Mures 2 will play against CSU Sibiu 2. The game will be played in the Sala Sporturilor City Arena starting at 12 o'clock.


BC Sirius won their game against Botosani 70-50. The scorers were: Dietrich 19, Galfi 11, Vultur 11, Ivacsson 10, Pop 9, Marin 4, Bende 4 si Gombos 2. The team leads their group with a 5-0 win-loss ratio and is virtually qualified for the semifinal phase of the championship.

BC Mures U18 close road win in Tirgu Jiu

BC Mures - LPS Tirgu Mures managed a tightly fought but well deserved victory against LPS Tirgu Jiu. The boys coached by Steff Zakarias and Soos Tibor won by only 2 points, 77-79.

The team, with the addition of Rasty, Tibirna, Barabasi and Oprea will play 2 back to back games in Bucharest against Rapid and Stiinta Bucuresti in the weekend.

Weekend basketball

This upcoming weekend there is plenty of basketball to be savored by the fans. Starting with U13 and ending with National League, there is every level you could want to see.

For an opener we have BC Mures vs. Universitatea Cluj-Napoca on Friday at 18:30 in the Sala Sporturilor City Arena. After 3 losses in a row the home team will be eager to show the fans that they mean business. This is also a good opportunity for pointguard Filip Adamovic to make his debut in the blue and whites.

On Saturday we have LNBF. Nova Vita Tirgu Mures will host CSBT Alexandria in the Sala Sporturilor City Arena at 12 o'clock. After 2 losses on the road, the girls trained by Ionel Brustur will try to put up a good fight against their opponents, a victory would mean gold in the struggle for the playoffs.

On Sunday we start with U13 action. CS Gladius will play against U-Mobitelco 3 Cluj-Napoca in the No. 20 School Gym. BC Sirius will host For You Cluj-Napoca in the City Arena starting at 9 o'clock.

The Game of the Day will be the home debut of Sirius Liga 1 team. In their first ever Liga 1 season in the history of the club, the girls want to make a good impression and win the game against National Iasi. The game will start at 13:30 in the City Arena.

BC Mures 2 winner in Bucharest

BC Mures 2 won their game in Bucharest against CN Aurel Vlaicu. The team coached by Trif George won by 40-82 (17-17, 5-19, 12-22, 6-24).

From BC Mures the best scorers were Engi 15 points (2x3), Boloni 12 points and Oprea with 12 points (1x3). All 10 players entered on the scoresheet for BC Mures managed to score at least 2 points.

After the 4th round of Liga 1, BC Mures stands in 2nd place with 3 victories and 1 defeat.

The team's next game will be at home against Rapid.

BC Mures 2 Victorious on the Road

BC Mures 2 Tirgu Mures are 2 out of 3 after their victory on Monday in the Liga 1. The team coached by George Trif led by as much as 17 at the break and by 23 at the final buzzer.

For BC Mures the best scorers were: Oprea 21 (3x3), Engi 14 (4x3) andf Rasty 17 (2x3). The team scored 15 times from behind the 3 point arc.

The team will play next against CN Aurel Vlaicu in Bucharest on the 26th of October and against Rapid Bucuresti at home on the 2nd of November.

BC Mures - BCMU Pitesti LIVE

The game between BC Mures and BCMU Pitesi will be live on www.scmpitesti.ro.

Weekend Basketball

And here are this weekend's basketball encounters. Enjoy!



Saturday

10:00 BC Mures LPS Tirgu Mures - CSS Bega Timisoara, Petru Maior Gym, U18 boys category

13:00 Nova Vita Tirgu Mures - Olimpia CSU Brasov, City Arena, Women's National Basketball League

17:45 BC Mures Tirgu Mures - BCMU Pitesti, City Arena, Men's National Basketball League

Sunday

13:00 Gladius Tirgu Mures - Bihorul Oradea, School  nr. 20 Gym, U13 boys category

17:00 Sirius Tirgu Mures - Bega Timisoara, LPS Gym, U13 girls category


BC Mures 2 will play on Monday in Tirgu Jiu against Energia 2 Tirgu Jiu in Liga 1.

Three Down on Sunday

BC Mures lost all three of their games on Sunday.

In the first game of the day, BC Mures - LPS Tirgu Mures lost 67-100 against BC Olimpic Baia Mare in the U16 boys category.

In the headliner match, BC Mures played against SCM U Craiova, in the second round of the National League. After a good start, and a decent first half, BC Mures led by 41 to 38. After the break, a tired looking BC Mures couldn't match a feisty Craiova team which lead at a time by as many as 10 points. A desperate final run brought BC Mures within reach, but Craiova kept their cool and managed to walk away with a 75-77 victory, their second in a row. Statistics.

In the last game of the day, counting for the second round of Liga 1, BC Mures played against, promotion favorites Dinamo Bucuresti. After a very close first half, in which they went head to head with their opponents, BC Mures showed their lack of experience and Dinamo managed to pull away decisively. With two american players scoring almost 60 points between them, and with veterans Carutasu and Paliciuc on the court Dinamo proved to be a nut too tough for the young BC Mures outfit.

From BC Mures the best scorers were Oprea with 14, Rasty with 13 and Barabasi with 12 points.

                   

Crazy Sunday

Next Sunday is plentiful basketball-wise. No less than five games will be played that day, so basketball fans have a wide range of possibilities to choose from.

The day starts at 10 o'clock at the LPS "Szasz Adalbert" Gym, where in the U16 boys category, BC Mures LPS Tirgu Mures will host BC Olimpic Baia Mare.

At 11 o'clock at Petru Maior Gym, BC Sirius Tirgu Mures will play against CSS Al. Ceusianu Reghin, in the U16 girls category.

At 12:30 in the City Arena, Muresul Tirgu Mures will suit up against CSU Sibiu in the U16 boys ccategory

At 17:00 starts the Game of the Day. In the LNBM, BC Mures Tirgu Mures will host SCM U Craiova. The game counts for the second round of the championship. Both teams were victorious in the first round and want to preserve their perfect records.

At 19:00 starts the last game of the day. Counting for the second round of Liga 1, BC Mures 2 Tirgu Mures will play against, odds on favorites Dinamo Bucuresti. The visitors feature two american players, Romanian basketball great, Virgil Carutasu, and other experienced players young beside local talent. BC Mures will play with players under 20 years of age, the only exception being "veteran" Raul Puscas.

You can warm up for these games on Saturday, when Sirius U13 team will host LPS Satu Mare at the Petru Maior Gym, starting at 11 o'clock.

CSU Sibiu 2 - BC Mures 2 61-81 (13-18, 19-28, 17-12, 12-23)

BC Mures Tirgu Mures won its first game of the season in the Liga 1. The team coached by George Trif won on the road against CSU Sibiu.

The 12 players entered on the scoresheet for BC Mures were: Oprea, Boloni, Barabasi, Tibirna, Ilicov, Botos, Rasty, Engi, Baki, Puscas, Potcoava si Stefan. Of these players only Puscas is over 20 years old.

The best scorers from BC Mures were Barabasi with 19, Oprea with 14 and Puscas with 13 points. Nine of the 12 players on the scoresheet scored at least 1 point.

The next game of the team will be on Sunday at home against Dinamo Bucuresti. The encounter starts at 19:00 immediately after the BC Mures 1 - SCM U Craiova game.

Games on Wednesday

In the first round of Liga 1, BC Mures 2 Tirgu Mures will play on the road against CSU Sibiu 2. The game should have been played on Sunday but it was rescheduled for Wednesday at 13:00.

In the City Arena starting at 17:00 Nova Vita Tirgu Mures will host SCM U Craiova. The local outfit starts as favorite against a team that has only Romanian players on the roster.

Lucky Losers

The Romanian Basketball Federation (FRB) announced earlier today the eight teams that had qualified for the quarter finals of the Romanian Cup.

These are:

The Romanian Cup

• CSU Asesoft Ploiesti, double winners against SCM U Craiova (70-64, 97-71);

• Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti, winners after double OT against BC Mures (64-68, 86-78)

• CSU Atlassib Sibiu, double winners against CSM Oradea (83-81, 82-80)

• BC Timisoara, aggregate winners agaisnt U BT Cluj Napoca (71-73, 85-72)

• BCM U Pitesti, double winners against Gaz Metan Medias (78-62, 66-57)

• BC Timba Timisoara, double winners against Universitatea Cluj Napoca (88-69, 77-52)

• CS Energia Rovinari, Cup holders and "Lucky Winners"

• BC Mures Tirgu Mures, "Lucky Losers"

With only 13 teams at the start of the competition, FRB decided on a system that scheduled six matches in the first round, one team, the Lucky Winner being exempted from playing, thus qualifying directly into the quarter finals. These seven teams were to be joined by one of the teams that lost in the six first round encounters, but had the best overall result. 

After the six games BC Mures proved to have the best record, with 3 points and -4 goal difference. CSM Oradea also had -4 goal difference, but they lost both their games, thus only had 2 points. U BT Cluj also had 3 points, but they lost the aggregate by 11 points. The rest of the teams all lost both their games.

The quarter final pairings will be set by a draw. The date of the draw will be announced at a later time. The quarter finals are scheduled for the 5th and 9th of January 2015.

Triple Header in the City Arena on Saturday

Saturday the 4th of October will see a rare schedule of three consecutive basketball games in the City Arena.

While most of the fans are already preparing for the BC Mures - Gaz Metan Medias game, and a few insiders found out about the Nova Vita - Sfantu Gheorghe encounter, not many people know that we have a team of young ladies, under 18 years of age who play in the U18 National Championships.

This team, BC Sirius by its name, will play starting from 12:15 against CSS Sf. Gheorghe. This is the opening game of the season for the girls, who play in a new format this season. Newly appointed coach Razvan Moldovan will have a team consisting mainly of players from Reghin and Tirgu Mures, thus mixing the best from last season's 4th placed team with the best of local talent.

The second match will start at 15:00 and will see Nova Vita Tirgu Mures face giant killers Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe, a team which ousted in the Romanian Cup first round, last season's champions, CSM Tirgoviste.

In the highlight game of the day BC Mures will step on the court against Gaz Metan Medias, a team which lost its status as a favorite for the championship, but still has a few players that can cause an upset at any given time. This encounter will start from 18:00.

We will try to have live transmission of the last game, at least, but no promises. Check back here for more info on that on Saturday.

Preview: BC Mures - Steaua CSM Eximbank Bucuresti (26.09.2014 18:00)

BC Mures starts the official 2014-2015 season with a home game in the Romanian Cup first round against Steaua CSM Bucuresti. The game will be played in the Tirgu Mures City Arena starting at 18 o'clock.

Photo: Radu Rosca

This is one of the top encounters of the first round. The two teams seem equally matched at first sight with Steaua having a small advantage in the quality of its Romanian players. The other two top fixtures are U BT Cluj vs. BC Timisoara and CSM Oradea vs. CSU Sibiu.

In the Romanian Cup the rules make mandatory the use of a Romanian player through the whole game. Steaua has Mihai Paul (G), Ionut Dragusin (C), Adi Tudor (G) and Titus Nicoara (F), to mention only the big guns. In return Srecko Sekulovic can play with Lazar (C), Capusan (F), Corpodean (F) or Polyak (G).

Steaua held on to Bozo Djurasovic (F) from last season and brought five new foreign players, some with impressive resumes. Americans Bill Amis (C), Terrell Everett (G) and Travis Wattson (F) are at their first contact with Romanian basketball and so is Goran Ikonic (G) from Bosnia. Pankracije Barac comes from BCM U Pitesti after a solid season, being one of the best forwards in the league.

BC Mures kept fan-favorite Vaidotas Peciukas (F) and captain Ivan Ivanovic (F). Ousmane Barro (C) and Matija Ceskovic (G) returned after solid seasons at Pitesti and Sibiu respectively. Point guard Edi Sinadinovic (G) came from Pitesti. The biggest unknown is Sammy Emile (F), who previously played in Irak. He showed potential in the pre-season friendlies and can be an important element in the BC Mures machinery.

The game will be live on Digisport 2.

The return leg is scheduled for the 30th of September.

CS Nova Vita Tirgu Mures - CSU Alba Iulia 64-104 (13-25,11-29, 26-25, 14-25)

Nova Vita Tirgu Mures lost the return leg of their Romanian Cup first round encounter against CSU Alba Iulia. After a first leg defeat of 97-56 the home team couldn't stop the offensive appetite of Alba Iulia and lost the game with 64-104.

This way CSU Alba Iulia qualified for the second round with a total score of 201-120.

From Nova Vita we can mention Montgomery with 18 points, Thompson with 17 and Grossnickle with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

In the last minutes of the game Montgomery sustained an ankle injury and is doubtful for the first round of the Championship.

Romanian Cup Women: BC Nova Vita Tirgu Mures vs. CSU Alba Iulia (24.09.2014 13:00)

On Wednesday 24th of September is scheduled the first game of Tirgu Mures based women's basketball team, Nova Vita Tirgu Mures.

Coach Ionel Brustur, who coached the team last season also, has a team of 12 players at his disposal. Six of them are from the USA, with play-maker Alexia Adams returning after two seasons to her former team. From last year's team only local talents Bartha Borbala and Parajdi Tekla, and Meszaros Kata are still on the roster. Newcomers Jakab Agnes, Corina Balan and Andreea Popa complete the list. The club management hopes to sign one more player until the end of the transfer period.

Nova Vita played their first game on the road in the first round of the Romanian Cup against CSU Alba Iulia. With only six players eligible to play, the team lost by a big margin, 97-56, against an opponent which will fight for the title this season.

The return leg is scheduled for Wednesday, the 24th of September in the Tirgu Mures City Arena starting at 13:00.

BC Mures Centers: No. 7 Ousmane Barro

Ousmane Barro is undoubtedly one of the best defensive centers, if not the best, of the league. First time he signed for BC Mures, it was for only half a season, replacing Darko Balaban, but he helped the team to it's most prestigious season: silver medal in LNBM. 

At the end of that season he left to play in France, but eventually he ended up at BCMU Pitesti, where he had a solid season, finishing in 6th place in he regular season. Pitesti exited the playoffs in the first round after a 3-1 defeat at the hands of BC Mures.

After the departure of Sasha Mladenovic, Barro became the top priority transfer for the BC Mures management on the center post. Coach Srecko Sekulovic doesn't like to make experiments, so he works mostly with players he knows either from his former teams or from the teams he followed previously in the championship. 

Barro didn't wait long to fulfill the expectations, dominating the boards in both "Memorialul Elemer Tordai" and "Cupa Mures" friendly tournaments, scoring a double double in most of these games.

Ousmane Barro is not a spectacular offensive player, but he plays for the team, creates openings for his teammates, gets the offensive rebound, and scores himself when he is in a good position. When he is on the court, the screens are set like in the manual, and there are no easy ways to the basket for the opponents. 

With a healthy Barro under the basket, we can expect more open shots for the shooters, and less easy points scored by the opponents. Knowing his fighting spirit, we can hope for at least a repeat of his silver medal winning season in the white and blue.

Below you can find a short interview with Ousmane Barro.

1. It is your second time at BC Mures, returning from Pitesti after a solid season. How do you feel coming back?

It's a good feeling coming back because I played with some of the guys before so the transition is much easier.

2. How is the chemistry of the team with so many different nationality players on the roster?

The chemistry is great, almost everybody on the team played in Mures before or played in other team in Romania so we all know each other which makes it a good chemistry.

3. There are fewer teams than last season in the league, but most of them got stronger. How competitive do you think this season will be?

I think that's unfortunate that there are less teams than last year but on the other hand, the competition will be very good for the league because every game will be crucial.

4. How was the physical training at Sovata? Have you charged your batteries for the season?

It was great, we did what we needed to do there and it got the team closer so that was good.

5. A few words for the fans.

We thank you for your support and cheers and hopefully at the end the season we will make you (fans) very proud to be a BC MURES FANS.

BC Mures 2

During these last weeks everybody in Tirgu Mures has been preoccupied with BC Mures National League basketball team. Not many know about the existence of another team, entered in the second division, Liga 1.

The team coached by George Trif is made up 90% of local talent, all of them between 16 and 20 years of age. "Veterans" Dimitris Rasty and Lucian Tibirna joined the club this year from CN Aurel Vlaicu and CSS Focsani respectively.

BC Mureș has been drawn into a group of eight teams: Colegiul National Aurel Vlaicu (Rasty's former team), Dinamo Bucuresti (with two americans on the roster), Rapid Bucuresti, CSU Sibiu, SCM Craiova, Energia Tirgu Jiu and Stiinta Bucuresti (last season's Liga 1 winners). So, many long and difficult road trips for this young team, but also many good opportunities to learn and toughen up for the National League.

From left to right: Adrian Oprea, Bölöni Tamás, Barabás Csongor, Lucian Țibîrnă, Florin Ilicov, Botos Vilmos, Dimitris Rasty, Engi Dávid, Baki Szilárd, Moldován István, Szabó Dávid, Mădălin Potcoavă. Coach: Trif George.
Andrei Ștefan and Teodor Togănel weren't present at the team presentation.

The games will be played weekly, mostly the day after the first team's game. So the basketball loving public is in for another treat of quality basketball every week.

First game of the season will be on the 5th of October against CSU Sibiu, while the first home game is scheduled for the 12th of October against league powerhouse Dinamo Bucuresti.

Here you can download the schedule of the first round of the Liga 1 Group C games.

BC Mures Loses Presentation Game Against CSM Oradea

BC Mures presented it's roster for the upcoming 2014-2015 season. Coaches Srecko Sekulovic and Szaszgaspar Barnabas have the following players at their disposal to repeat or better last season's bronze medal winning performance:

photo by Kádár Zoltán

4 Csongor Barabási
5 Edi Sinadinovic
6 László Polyák
7 Ousmane Barro
8 Andrei Căpușan
9 Vaidotas Peciukas
10 Ivan Ivanovic
11 Sammy Lee Emile
12 Adrian Oprea
13 Vlad Corpodean
14 Cristian Jakab
25 Matija Ceskovic
33 László Lázár

After a nice presentation ceremony with balloons and a light-show the real entertainment began. BC Mures hosted last season's silver medalists, CSM Oradea. The game had two diametrically opposed halfs. The first half belonged to BC Mures, who presented a tight defense and a productive offense, thus leading at the half time by  10 points. After the break Oradea began slowly but surely to claw back into the game, and helped by a less effective defense of the hosts took control and won by 79-86.

Let's hope that this lost game will motivate the players to give it all on the court against Steaua Bucuresti in the Romanian Cup First Round next week.

Vaidotas Peciukas Game Winner

Here is BC Mures' own Vaidotas Peciukas with a game winner three pointer with 2 seconds left on the clock in a friendly game against U-BT Cluj-Napoca.

On Monday I will try to publish an interview with Ousmane Barro. Stay tuned.

"Cupa Mures" Friendly Tournament - 5th Edition

On thursday, the 11th of September begins in Tirgu Mures the 5th edition of the traditionla pre-season friendly tournament, "Cupa Mures".

The three day competition features Romanian Cup winners Energia Tirgu Jiu, last year's 3rd and 4th placed teams, BC Mures Tirgu Mures and U BT Cluj-Napoca, and BC Mures Tirgu Mures 2.

BC Mures - winners of Cupa Energia 2014

The schedule of the games is as follows:

Thursday, 11th of September
18:00 U BT Cluj-Napoca - BC Mures 2 111-58
20:00 BC Mures 1 - Energia Tirgu Jiu 89-72

Friday, 12th of September
18:00 Energia Tirgu Jiu - BC Mures 2 36-104
20:00 BC Mures Tirgu Mures - U BT Cluj-Napoca 77-76

Saturday, 13th of September
10:30 U BT Cluj Napoca - Energia Tirgu Jiu 104-59
12:30 BC Mures 1 - BC Mures 2 80-69

BC Mures has won the 5th edition of Cupa Mures.

New FIBA rules (1)

The new FIBA rules, valid from the 1st of October 2014 have been out for some time now. They have special interpretations too, with every possible situation taken into consideration. In the following articles I will try to go through the changes and see what they mean for the game of basketball.

The new rules were adopted on the 2nd of February in Barcelona, Spain by the FIBA Central Board and will be mandatory for all FIBA competitions from the 1st of October 2014, with the remark that in some competitions, like Euroleague, Eurocup, etc., they were used since 2013.
There are changes in the new rules, that don't really influence the game, changes in terminology, like shot clock instead of 24 second clock, goal released from a shot instead of goal from a shot, etc. But there are bigger changes, ones that were introduced with the goal of making the game quicker, more dynamic,  and hence more spectacular. This is why the 24 second rule was changed, the new time-out policy was introduced, the no charge semi circle area was widened, etc.

In this article I will analyze the new time-out policy of FIBA. There are two major changes:

• the introduction of the media time-out;
• the introduction of a maximum of 2 available time-outs in the last two minutes of the second half.

The first rule change won't really make a difference in Romanian basketball in the near future. Although basketball recently saw a big increase in popularity and media coverage, it is still considered a distant second behind football in the country. No popularity means no interest from the media, means no advertising, means no need for media time-outs. Let's hope that the popularity of basketball will keep increasing and we will see the media time-out introduced in LNBM also.
We can find the definition of the media time-out in section E of the rules. The rule states that every countries organizing body can decide whether to use these time-outs or not, and their length. There can be only one media time-out in each period. If a team requests a time-out in the first five minutes of the quarter that should be the media time-out. If neither team requests it until the 5th minute, the time-out shall be granted at the first possibility, but none of the two teams will lose one of their regular time-outs.

The second rule change is a more important one. In many close games, coaches tended to save all their second half time-outs for the final two minutes. Because of this, the last two minutes of those games had been played longer than the first eight. Since the fans wanted to see basketball, not time-outs, FIBA decided to limit the number of time-outs available in the last two minutes of regulation. Article 18.2.5 states that each team may be granted 3 time-outs during the second half with a maximum of 2 of these time-outs in the last 2 minutes of the second half. So if a coach doesn't use his first time out in the first 18 minutes of the second half, he will lose one of these 1 minute rest periods.
To elaborate a bit I will copy & paste an example 18/19-19 from the FIBA interpretation manual.

Example: With 2:09 on the game clock in the 4th period coach A requests his 1st time-out in the second half while the game is played. With 1:58 on the game clock the ball goes out-of-bounds and the game clock is stopped. The time-out for team A is now granted.
Interpretation: The scorer shall mark 2 horizontal lines on the scoresheet in the first box of team A as the time-out was granted at 1:58 in the 4th period. The time-out shall be entered in the second box and team A has only one more time-out left.

We will see if this rule change shall have it's desired effect, one thing is sure though, coaches will have to somewhat rethink their endgame tactics and rely more on the quick decision making of their players.

In the next part of this article I will try to analyze the changes in the Ball returned to the backcourt section, which is a very controversial rule in the eye of the fans.

You can download every rule and regulation manual from the FIBA site.

"Cupa Energia" Friendly Tournament

Thursday,  the 6th of September, starts in Tirgu Jiu this year's edition of "Cupa Enrgia", a pre-season international friendly tournament, organised by LNBM club Energia Tirgu Jiu. The tournament features former Balkan League winners Feni Industries Kavadarci, former Romanian Cup and Romanian Championship winners BCM U Pitesti, last year's Romanian Cup winners and hosts Energia Tirgu Jiu and Romanian Championship silver and bronze medalist BC Mures Tirgu Mures.

The tournament system is Final 4 like. Teams will play semifinal matches, paired by a previous draw. The winners will play for the cup, and the losers for the 3rd place.

The tournament has a very strong field, with all four teams representing similar strength if not style. The games will probably be very close encounters, with many spectacular lead changes, just what the doctor ordered for the basketball hungry fans.
On saturday BC Mures will play against Macedonian outfit Feni Industries Kavadarci, a team they have met before, while playing in the Balkan League (BIBL). The winner of this game will get a showdown for the Cup against the winner of the BCM U Pitesti vs. Energia Tirgu Jiu match.
BC Mures traveled to Tirgu Jiu with a roster of 12. Coaches Sekulovic and Szaszgaspar decided to list the following players for the two games: Ivanovic (cpt.), Peciukas, Ceskovic, Sinadinovic, Barro, Emile, Polyak, Corpodean, Capusan, Lazar, Barabasi and Oprea.

In the first game, BC Mures defeated Feni Industries Kavadarci 72-57. The man of the match was Sammy Emile with 18 points (5/6 from 3 point range). Ousmane Barro with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Ivan Ivanovic with 10 points and 12 rebounds had solid games in the paint.

In the second game BCM U Pitesti beat Energia Tirgu Jiu 77-71.

In tomorrow's final BC Mures will play against BCM U Pitesti, while Feni Industries will fight with   tournament hosts Energia Tirgu Jiu for the bronze medals.

BC Mures has won the tournament after a conclusive 53-74 victory against BCM U Pitesti. Barro and Ivanovic dominated the paint, while shooters Peciukas, Sinadinovic and Ceskovic all finished in double digits.

In the bronze medal final Energia Tirgu Jiu beat Macedonian outfit Feni Industries Kavadarci 86-68.

The tournament schedule

The "Elemér Tordai Memorial" Tournament

Elemér Tordai's No. 9 jersey was retired by the club

Today starts in Sibiu the 7th edition of the "Elemér Tordai Memorial" Tournament. The three day event which features four teams, wants to be a tribute to one of the best players who ever played for CSU Sibiu. With him on the court the club had it's most glorious period which culminated with winning their only two championships.

Elemér Tordai was born in Mediaș in 1971 and played during his career for Gaz Metan Medias, West Petrom Arad, Dinamo Bucuresti and CSU Sibiu. Wherever he played he was a true professional and an example to be followed by the young players. For this and for his loyalty to CSU Sibiu for which he played in his last seasons, the fans keep him in their hearts even today. He unfortunately passed away in 2007 after a long battle with cancer at only 36 years of age. CSU Sibiu organizes a friendly tournament every year since then, in his memory, a tournament which opens unofficially the new basketball season in Romania.

This year's participants are SCM U Craiova, Universitatea Cluj Napoca, BC Mures Tirgu Mures and the hosts CSU Sibiu. Every team will meet all the others during this three day event, and the winner will be pronounced the one with the most victories. 

The full schedule of games:

Thursday, 28th of August

17:00 CSU Sibiu - Universitatea Cluj-Napoca 90-53
Top achievements:
CSU Sibiu: Bojovic 24 points, Calota 18 points. Pascu Norbert played 12 minutes for Sibiu without scoring.
Universitatea Cluj: Pintea 11 points, Ionescu 9 points, Foalea 8 points. Steff Norbert played for Cluj and scored 4 points.

Complete stats.

19:00 BC Mures Tirgu Mures - SCM U Craiova 97-98 (after OT)

Top achievements:
BC Mures: Ivanovic 24 points, Sinadinovic 19 points, Peciukas 16 points, Barro 15 points.
SCM U Craiova: Krstanovic 21 points, Velickovic 20 points, Vucurovic 17 points, Santa 10 points.

Complete stats: BC Mures, SCM Craiova.

Friday, 29th of August

17:00 Universitatea Cluj-Napoca - BC Mures Tirgu Mures 46-103
Top achievements:
Universitatea Cluj: Foalea 14 points, Pintea 11 points, Steff 4 points
BC Mures: Lazar 24 points, Corpodean 19 points, Capusan 16 points, 10 rebounds.

Complete stats.

19:00 CSU Sibiu - SCM U Craiova 102-95

Top achievements:
CSU Sibiu: Bojovic 30 points, 6 rebounds, Calota 27 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
SCM U Craiova: Krstanovic 38points, 13 rebounds, Vucurovic 18 points, Bureau 16 points, 8 rebounds, Santa 6 points.

Complete stats.

Saturday, 30th of August

10:30 Universitatea Cluj-Napoca - SCM U Craiova 61-89
Unfortunately I couldn't get the statistics for this game.

12:30 CSU Sibiu - BC Mures Tirgu Mures 51-91
Top achievements:
CSU Sibiu: Bojovic 19 points, 7 rebounds, Lapuste 13 points, Paun 8 points
BC Mures: Ivanovic 18 points, 10 rebounds, Barro 14 points, 12 rebounds, Sinadinovic 12 points, 7 assists

Complete stats: CSU Sibiu, BC Mures.

With these results BC Mures won the 7th edition of the Elemér Tordai Memorial Tournament. 

BC Mures Centers: Lucian Țibîrnă

Lucian Tibirna is the younger brother of CSM Oradea center Bogdan Tibirna. The 18 years old center comes from Focsani where he played out his junior years so far. But that team, although it made it to the U20 final tournament, wasn't competitive enough for Lucian, thus he made the decision to transfer to a team that can assure him a better environment to maximize his talents and develop his inside game. On top of that he can have the chance to debut in the Romanian first division LNBM.

Growing up in the shadow of his brother, who made it at top level at an early age, Lucian strives to at least equal that performance and hopefully surpass it. Having experienced players around him and a top quality coaching staff, he has every chance to achieve his goals, everything depends on his hard work and ambition. He will play mostly for the Liga 1 (second division) team, beside Dimitris Rasty, Boloni Tamas, Barabasi Csongor and other players who played in the past for the Romanian National Team. Depending on his work and achievements at practice and in games, he could have the chance to make the roster of the first team. And even if it is not going to happen this season, he has time on his side and a good possibility to build a basketball career at Tirgu Mures.

No. 11 Lucian Tibirna

Below you can read an interview with Lucian Tibirna.

1. Why did you choose BC Mures?
I chose BC Mures because I wanted to play in a united team, with a competent staff, which I can understand and which understands me. I think that this club can offer me this possibility.

2. Your older brother has already made the first team at Oradea. Do you hope to follow his path in the BC Mures jersey?

I am proud of my brother and in my eyes he will always be the best, but my character, my will and my devotion can help me to pass him and reach my own dreams.

3. You will have the opportunity to work at practice with three experienced centers: Barro, Lazar and Jakab. What does this mean to you?
For me this is a special opportunity, to be able to train with Ousmane Barro, because he is a very experienced player, who played all over the world. I also think that Lazar Laszlo can teach me a lot of his experience as a young player. About Cristian jakab I don't know a lot but I think we will get along well. I want to steal pieces of each of their experience and to learn as much as I can from them to become a better player.

4. A few words for the fans.
For me the fans are the sixth player of the team. They are always beside the team, no matter of the results, they give you the strength to continue and they are the main reason to win the game. I chose to fight for BC Mures and I hope I won't disappoint anybody.

BC Mures Shooting Guards: No. 25 Matija Ceskovic

Matija Ceskovic could prove to be the returning prodigal son for BC Mures. In his first season with the club he was either angel or demon. He reeks of talent, lots of it, and has the spark of genius. When he is in "the zone" no one can stop him. He scores from downtown, mid range or with two defenders hanging from his neck. But there are moments when he can lose a game all by himself, by forcing difficult shots in key moments, with open teammates on the court.

Last year he left, or maybe he was forced to leave by the signing of Goran Martinic. Coach Sekulovic knew, there is no room for two soloists in the same orchestra and he chose Martinic. So Ceskovic signed with CSU Sibiu.

With Sibiu he made it to the playoffs from 3rd place in the regular season, one better than BC Mures. There this team lost after a thrilling five game series against 6th seeded U-Mobitelco Cluj Napoca.

In the regular season he averaged 17 points, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 34:20 minutes per game. In the playoffs he had 14.6 points, 2 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 37:45 minutes per game.

This season with BC Mures he is looking ahead to many minutes on the court, because he is the only pure shooting guard in the team. Of course Sinadinovic, Polyák and even Emile can play 2 if needed, but to Ceskovic, the shooting guard position fits like a glove.

In defense he can guard any outside player. He is well built and quick on his feet, hard to loose by the offensive player. When in mismatch with a taller player he knows when to foul to prevent an easy basket.

His return to BC Mures could prove the spark of genius missing from last year's team, the binding material between the warrior attitude and talent of the other players.

Below you can read an interview with Matija Ceskovic.

1. You are coming back to Mures after playing last year in Sibiu. What made you choose Mures again?

Hey, I can say that I am coming back home. I missed the Jungle, and beside that, I know some players and the coach, and I think that we have a combination of young and experienced players, so these are the reasons why I have decided to come back.

2. With Sinadinovic and Polyak playing point guard, you will mainly play shooting guard. Is this an advantage for you?

My natural position is 2, but I will be there to help them on position 1 if needed. My goal is for the team to play good together and personal statistics will come by themselves.

3. Knowing the coach and the team, do you think you can at least repeat last year's performance?

This season the Romanian league will be much stronger than before, so we will also need to be lucky in some games and we can make good results.

4. A few words for the fans. 

Hui hui haira!

Some Matija Ceskovic highlights from 2011-2012

BC Mures Forwards: No. 12 Adrian Oprea

Adrian Oprea is a promising young player. Originating from Miercurea Ciuc, he came to Tirgu Mures at a tender age to play at a top youth club. His coaches have been Szászgáspár Barnabás, George Trif and Steff Zakariás. After proving his talent at junior level, coach Sekulovic decided to promote him to the extended first division roster and give him some minutes in easier games, to get the feel of high level basketball.

He made the National Team both at U18 and U20 levels and took part in two European Championship campaigns. This summer at the Division B U20 EC in Bosnia, coached by Hristu Șapera, his team finished in 9th place. He averaged 5.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.9 steals in 13.3 minutes per game.

Playing at the U20 EC

With BC Mures U20 he finished in 4th place in last year's National Championships being one of the determining players of the team. This year the club entered a team consisting of only U20 players in the second division (Liga 1). With teammates like National Team players Dimitris Rasty, Barabási Csongor, Lucian Țibîrnă, Engi Dávid, Bölöni Tamás, Mădălin Potcoavă chances are that the results will come and a nice nucleus of young talent will form, to take over from the veterans in the near future.

With plenty of talent to use and an athletic body, Oprea has everything he needs to make it at top level, it only depends on his will and determination. He needs to develop his court vision and increase his decision making in order to match up to players like Peciukas or Ceskovic. One thing is sure: time is still on his side.

No. 21 Adrian Oprea

Below you can read a short interview with Adrian Oprea.

1. You have been at BC Mures for many years now, most of the time at youth level, but you have already made your appearance in the first team. What are your expectations for this season both at youth and senior levels?

This season I expect the team to be among the top teams both at U20 and senior level.

2. Which are your basketball skills and qualities that can help you make it at top level?

My best quality and chance to play is defense. It is not the best possible yet but I am trying to make progress as much as I can.

3. Which is your favorite position on the court?

My favorite position is shooting guard but I can also play small forward.

4. A few words for the fans.

We thank you for being there at the games every time and cheering for us even at away games.

BC Mures Forwards: No. 11 Sammy Lee Emile

Sammy Emile playing for Mars Hill University

Sammy Emile is the biggest gamble of BC Mures this season. Most of the other players have already played for the club in previous seasons, or played in the Romanian National League, so everybody knows what to expect from them. Only Polyák László is somewhat different, but he was seen by coach Sekulovic in live games before. Emile has never played in Europe before. He comes from Mars Hill University, a Division II NCAA team. During his career he also played in Canada, Brasil, Irak and in the ABA League in the USA.
Watching his highlight videos we can see that he has good coils in his legs, a hot hand from behind the ark and a half decent drive to the basket. He can finish with a dunk, a layup or a jump-shot making him hard to guard.
If last year's team missed something, it was an explosive all around player, who can make the play when set pieces don't work anymore. If he can do that, the fans will love him and stay behind him, like they do with all players who put their heart out on the court.

Below you can read a short interview with Sammy Lee Emile.

1. It is your first time in Europe as a player. Why did you choose BC Mures?
Yes, it is my first time in Europe. I chose BC Mures because of the coach and the winning tradition.

2. You are the only American in the team. How is the team chemistry with players from so many countries?
The chemistry is coming together fast because it's a team full of veterans that understand the game of basketball.

3. What position do you like to play on the court?
My position is 3/2 and some time the point if the coach needs me.

4. A few words for the fans.
My main goal is to help bring a championship to BC Mures.

Sammy Lee Emile Highlights

BC Mures Forwards: Dimitris Rasty

Playing for the U20 National Team

Dimitris Rasty is one of the young talents of Romanian basketball. He was born in Grece but learned basketball in Romania, mostly at Colegiul National Aurel Vlaicu. At 200 cm height he plays small and power forward, but he is hard to guard by tall players because he can shoot with a decent percentage from outside the arc. Rasty also has good penetration to the basket, playing well the mismatch situations.

Last season he played for Concordia Chiajna in the National League, finishing in 13th place with only 2 victories. He also played for the U20 National Team at the Division B European Championships, finishing in 9th place.

At Chiajna he played 25 games, having 3.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.4 assist in 16 minutes per game. At the European Championships he had a statistical line of 2.9 points, 2 rebounds and 0.4 steals in 11.6 minutes per game.

At BC Mures he will have to fight for a place on the court with veteran players like Peciukas, Ivanovic, Emile or Capusan so he has a lot on his hands, but his youth and fighting spirit can make him a useful role player in the team. He will have the opportunity to play in the club's second division team with other young talent like Barabási Csongor, Lucian Țibîrnă, Adrian Oprea, etc. There he will have the chance to strengthen his game and, given the opportunity, to make the step to the senior team.

Below you can read an interview with Dimitris Rasty.

1. Why did you choose BC Mures?

 I chose BC Mures because it is a top team both at senior and youth levels. The young players have total support from the club and also  from the fans, which is important to me as a player at the beginning of my career.

2. For a relatively tall player you have hot hands from outside the three point line. Which are your favorite positions on the court?

Because of my height I can play either positions 3 or 4, so I have to master both forward and center moves. My favorite position is of power forward because there I can play pick  and pop with my teammates from positions 1-2-3. This way I can create an open three point shot more easily, just like Ivanovic.

Playing for Chiajna in the National League

3. Which are your strengths with which you can make it at BC Mures?

I like to give 100% in everything I do, at practice and on the court. I always listen, never give up and I am always behind my team, no matter what, because in basketball the final result can always be changed.

4. A few words for the fans.

Thank you for the welcome messages and the support. Because of you my accommodation and work as a player will be much easier! 

BC Mures Point Guards: No. 6 Polyák László

In my opinion one of the best signings of BC Mures, in the preseason, was Polyák László. The young Hungarian guard comes with several advantages. First of all he has Romanian citizenship, his parents originating from Romania, which is very important because of the 6 foreign players rule of the Romanian Basketball Federation. He was an important part of the Hungarian youth squads between 2009 and 2013 taking part in five European Championship campaigns and qualified to Divison A in 2013 with the U20 team.

Last season he played  for Hungarian outfit Marso Nyíregyháza finishing in last place in the first league with a 5-17 win-loss ratio.

Playing for Nyíregyháza

He can play positions 1 and 2 in offense which is a great help for coach Srecko Sekulovic because he can substitute either Edi Sinadinovic or Matija Ceskovic in the rotation. He has good court vision and a decent three point shot. In defense he can guard any opponent due to his size and muscular build, qualities which don't hinder his speed. He follows the ball actively and has many rebounds due to his good positioning and intelligence. 

His statistics at he U20 EC in 2013 included 6.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 24 minutes per game. For his club he averaged 4.7 points, 2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.4 minutes per game.

Polyák László (second from left) at the 2013 EC victory ceremony in Pitesti (Rou)

Below you can read a short interview with Polyák László.

1. What made you choose Tirgu Mures as your next team?

Coach Sekulovic saw me at a friendly tournament, he liked my playing style and mentality, and he wanted me to be part of his team for this season. I know that this is a very competitive league and I know Srecko to be a heavy handed and good coach and I can progress under his hands. Mainly this is why I made this choice.

2. You were an important part of the Hungarian youth National Team. Now that you are playing in Romania, what are your hopes to be selected in the senior National Squad?
Yes, I took part in five youth European Championships (U16,  U18, U20) and I mostly had an important part in the team. For the senior team there is much work to be done but I am hopeful that I am on the right track.

3. What is your favorite position on the court, point guard or shooting guard?

I like to play point guard, but I don't have a problem if I have to play shooting guard.

4. What are your strong points on the court?

In my opinion my strength is that I am physically strong and still athletic given my height, and I can also be useful in defense.

5. A few words for the fans.

 I hope that we will have many fans at our games and they will help us as a sixth player to achieve a good result this season.