Mohammed to Gajovic Alley Oop Double

In his first game for BC Mures, explosive shooting guard Alhaji Mohammed showed that scoring is not his only trait. He dished out 9 assists, two of those ended up becoming spectacular alley oops dunked home by forward Goran Gajovic.

Rezultatele echipelor mureșene din 9-11 octombrie

Rezultatele obținute de echipele mureșene în acest weekend (în paranteză numărul victoriilor și înfrângerilor):

LNBM Dinamo București - BC Mureș Tîrgu Mureș 81-69 (1-1)

U13M Lucky Dragons Tîrgu Mureș - Bihorul Oradea 47-104 (1-1)

U13M U-Mobitelco 2 Cluj-Napoca - LPS Tîrgu Mureș 74-61 (0-1)

U13F CSS Al. Ceușianu Reghin - CSS Gheorgheni 53-29 (2-0)

U14M Gladius Tîrgu Mureș - Olimpic Baia Mare 71-15 (1-1)

U14F Crișul Oradea - CSS Al Ceușianu Reghin 60-48 (1-1)

U14F BC Sirius Tîrgu Mureș - CSS Gheorgheni 59-47 (1-0)

Meciuri in weekend (10-11 octombrie)

Săptămâna trecută a început faza de calificare a campionatelor naționale de juniori. În prima săptămână niciuna din echipele din Tîrgu Mureș nu a jucat pe teren propriu. Din această săptămână însă avem meciuri de urmărit la diferite categorii de vârstă. Mai jos aveți meciurile, locațiile și ora de start. Vizionare plăcută!

U13M Lucky Dragons Tîrgu Mureș - LPS Bihorul Oradea, duminică 11 octombrie ora 14, Sala Electromures

U14F BC Sirius Tîrgu Mureș - CSS Gheorgheni, sâmbătă 10 octombrie ora 13, Sala Sporturilor

U14M Gladius Tîrgu Mureș - Bihorul Oradea, sâmbătă 10 octombrie ora 14,
școala 20

Nu uitați, vineri de la ora 20, în direct pe Digisport 2, BC Mureș joacă pe terenul celor de la Dinamo București.

How to Call a Time Out When There is None Left?

BC Mures lost to Energia Tirgu Jiu 81-78 in the 25th round of the LNBM after a tightly fought game against the Eurochallenge prodigy. 

Towards the end of the game, with only 4 seconds remaining on the clock, BC Mures had a 1 point deficit with Giordan Wattson at the free throw line for two shots. With all three time outs exhausted, coach Prakuraitis gathered his players at the sideline and explained what he expected from them in the last attack of the game. Even while the players were preparing for the free throw, he was drawing on the tactical board and showing it to his players. And it almost worked, Polyak having an unexpected open shot at the buzzer, which unfortunately for his team, but to the joy of the Energia fans didn't go in.

The 39 Minute Player

In basketball there are a few extremely talented players who can make shots from any position and in tough circumstances. They just feel it. It can't be trained, taught or practiced. It just comes from the God given talent that they possess.

They (usually) defy basketball: don't need set plays, won't get discouraged if they miss three in a row, taunt their adversaries and many times ignore the coach's indication. They are loved by the fans and hated by the opposition.

Any coach would want such a player on the court in the final minutes of a close game. Just give him the ball, sit on the bench and see the opponents shake in their sneakers. They usually deliver.

There are a few players there, who can do these things, they have the talent, the attitude, the works, but only during the first 39 minutes of the game. They score 20+ points in a game, make tough shots, exasperate the opposing coach and send the fans into heaven. But come the last minute, they fall into an unknown abyss and simply forget about everything and become doombringers for their teams. They commit turnovers, miss shot after shot, and if they are kept on the court, they most probably lose the game all by themselves. 

Such a player is Matija Ceskovic from CSU Atlassib Sibiu, previously at BC Mures. His talent and basketball skills can't be contested. When he is on fire, almost nothing can stop him from scoring. He is a pain in the arse for any defender and defensive system. He can score from way beyond the arc or he can penetrate to the basket even against much taller opposition.

But all this only in the first 39 minutes. If a coach had the bad decision of leaving him on the court, moreover gave him the ball in hope that he would win the game, it would mean almost certain doom for the team. There are many examples from both his BC Mures and CSU Sibiu periods and I won't bother to line them all up here. A perfect example was today's match against Pitesti, which Sibiu lost in the final minute. 

After taking the lead with less than a minute to go, thanks to a 3 pointer by Ceskovic, Sibiu gained possession due to a Lee rebound. Ceskovic received the ball with less than 40 seconds on the clock and tried to wind down the clock as usual for a team in lead. After a failed inside pass to Lee, the ball bounced to Bojovic, who passed it to Ceskovic. With the shot clock winding down he was forced to shoot a desperation three, but wasn't even close and on the ensuing fast break Pitesti scored with an easy dunk. Sibiu called for a time out and the coach decided to give the ball to, you guessed right, Nr. 26. With only a few seconds left on the clock, Ceskovic attempted to pass the ball to Lee under the basket, and he succeeded, but committed travelling in the process and there was no more time left for a miracle in Pitesti.

I have nothing personal against Matija Ceskovic, he is a very talented and versatile player. I liked him both time he played for BC Mures, but if I were the coach, I would have left him on the bench every time when there was a clutch situation within the final minutes of a game.

35 What About a Real Final Four?

Energia Tirgu Jiu is very close to qualifying for the last eight phase of the Eurochallenge, Europe's third basketball club competition. With two home games left, Energia has a 3-1 record, and have their faith in their own hands. 

If they win any of their two home games they are 100% in the next round, with a victory against Astana they even have the first place assured. There is only one realistic possibility to lose their place in the top 8. If they were defeated in their last two games at home and Okapi Aalstar beat both Enel Basket and Astana on the road, only then would Antonis Constantinides' side miss the chance to make it into the next phase.

There is still the possibility that all four teams will finish with a 3-3 record and then the total goal difference of the group will decide the qualifying teams. In this case Energia will have to limit harshly the margin with which they lose, to heighten their chances of qualifying.

If Energia makes it into the Quarter Final Playoffs, they will meet one of the top 2 teams from Group J in a "best of three" encounter, with two matches played on the better placed team's court. Group J is still open to all possibilities, but Le Mans is currently holding first place, with Nanterre and Usak in joint second.

The winners of the Quarter Final games will play in the Eurochallenge Final Four. The host of the event will be chosen out of the four teams that have made it there. 

It would be nice to see such an event organized in Romania, it would mean a great deal for the image of Romanian basketball. In my opinion the chances for Energia to get there are bigger than that of getting the organizing. To organize the Final Four the team has to assure a hall with a minimum of 3000 seats, so the Tirgu Jiu Arena is out of the question. There are other halls which live up to the standards, but there is the question whether the club wants to organize an event in another city, where most of their faithful fans won't have the chance to see their favorites.

We will have to wait and see, first whether Energia makes it or not so far (I sincerely hope they do), then if there is enough will and financial power to organize such an event. Until then let's root for them because they showed on the court repeatedly that they deserve our respect.

34 Ex-Tiger to Coach Universitatea

Flavius Lapuste has been named as the new coach of National League team Universitatea Cluj-Napoca. This comes after Carmin Popa has announced his resignation after 18 games in charge of the team which had a 0-18 win loss record.

Lapuste, who is 37 years old, and just recently hung up his basketball shoes, will make his coaching debut against one of his former teams, BC Mures Tirgu Mures. He spent two seasons in Tirgu Mures before leaving to play for Energia Rovinari.

The Pitesti born player, played many seasons in Cluj-Napoca, but for another team, U-Mobitelco Cluj-Napoca. He also played for the Romanian National Team.

Flavius Lapuste's new team has a mountain to climb if they want to avoid relegation at the end of the season. The coach's job is to make his players believe that the goal is still achievable.

Universitatea Cluj vs. BC Mures will see two teams who can't afford to lose if they want to achieve their pre-season objectives: remaining in the National League for the hosts and making the playoffs for the visitors.

Although I am sure that BC Mures fans can't concede a defeat at the hands of Universitatea, they all wish a long and fruitful coaching career for Flavius, but only after Thursday night's game.