Aussies in Europe: 2010/11

[Dunkin' Dan]

An update for anyone interested in how the aussies are going over in Europe so far this season:

Penny Taylor (Fenerbahçe, Turkish League)
6 games, 16.3 ppg @ 64%, 4.0 rpg, 2.7 apg.
Fenerbahçe is currently 6-1 (1st place on the ladder)

Hollie Grima (Aix en Provence, French League)
8 games, 16.6 ppg @ 53%, 6.5 rpg, 2.4 apg.
Aix is 3-5 (11th out of 14 teams)

Natalie Hurst (Aix en Provence, French League)
8 games, 11.9 ppg @ 43%, 4.8 rpg, 5.1 apg.

Alicia Poto (Lattes Montpellier, French League)
9 games, 9.2 ppg @ 45%, 2.7 rpg, 2.1 apg.
Montpellier is 6-3 (2nd)

Laura Summerton (Bracco Geas S.S.Giovanni, Italian League)
7 games, 14.9 ppg @ 56%, 4.9 rpg, 0.3 apg.
S.S.Giovanni is 4-3 (6th out of 12 teams)

Jenni Screen (Umana Venezia, Italian League)
3 games, 9.0 ppg @ 38%, 5.0 rpg, 2.0 apg.
Venezia is 3-4 (7th)

Sam Richards (KSSSE AZS PWSZ, Polish League)
12 games, 11.2 ppg @ 46%, 2.7 rpg, 4.5 apg.
KSSSE is 10-2 (3rd out of 13 teams)

Erin Phillips (Wisła Can - Pack Kraków, Polish League)
9 games, 11.9 ppg @ 42%, 5.2 rpg, 3.9 apg.
Wisla is 10-1 (1st)

Lauren Jackson (Spartak Vidnoe Moscow, Russian League)
5 games, 7.8 ppg @ 29%, 4.6 rpg, 0.2 apg.
Spartak Moscow is 6-1 (3rd out of 10 teams)

Belinda Snell (Perfumerías Avenida, Spanish League)
10 games, 11.1 ppg @ 49%, 3.3 rpg, 2.2 apg.
Avenida is 11-0 (1st)


Will add in their stats for Euroleague play later.


[ETA] Have I forgotten anyone?

[Swish83]

Wondering why Jackson is shooting only 29% from the field for 7.8ppg? That's unlike her. Has she been playing limited minutes?

[Dunkin' Dan]

Basically yes - she plays limited minutes in the Russian league.
Her Euroleague numbers (which I also plan to post this week) are more what one would expect from her.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Aussies in the Euroleague

Euroleague competition is now 7 rounds in, and the Aussies are travelling pretty nicely:

Erin Phillips - 7 games, 14.3 ppg @ 46%, 4.6 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.3 spg.
Team: 5-2 (2nd in Group A) (6 teams in each group)

Penny Taylor - 7 games, 17.1 ppg @ 60%, 8.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.1 spg.
Team: 7-0 (1st in Group B)

Belinda Snell - 7 games - 11.6 ppg @ 40%, 4.4 rpg, 2.1 apg.
Team: 5-2 (1st in Group C)

Lauren Jackson - 6 games - 17.8 ppg @ 39%, 9.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg, 1.5 spg.
Team: 4-3 (3rd in Group C)

Sam Richards - 7 games - 10.9 ppg @ 40%, 3.3 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.6 spg.
Team: 2-5 (5th in Group D)

[Penguin]

Awesome game by Penny Taylor this week in euroleague!!!!

"Taylor finished with a team-high 37 points, getting 34 of those in the second half...With Sopron leading 61-55, she buried a three-pointer and then made two free-throws after being fouled by McCoughtry. Taylor followed that with a jump shot for a 62-61 lead. She wasn't finished. The Australian sank four more free-throws and then hit another jumper to cap her own 13-0 run and give the visitors a 68-61 lead."


http://www.fibaeurope.com/cid_KNce8jInH7Qj1EsyH5rjn2.compID_jr6ZiXqeGhMBtfq1 yxqV83.coid_,E018GgmI4Mhga5dznK4F0.articleMode_on. html

[Dunkin' Dan]

Yeah, outstanding game. No Taurasi to share the scoring with, and Penny took full advantage :)

[Penguin]

Another article talking about Penny's awesome game against Sopron

http://www.fibaeurope.com/cid_KNce8jInH7Qj1EsyH5rjn2.compID_jr6ZiXqeGhMBtfq1 yxqV83.coid_S2Tx-LygHHcu3mPFFOiyT1.articleMode_on.html

"She was not amazing, not terrific," Ratgeber said of Taylor.

"She was brilliant!

"I've never seen anything like that."

[Dunkin' Dan]

I guess they don't have the word "ledge" over there in Turkey, but I suppose brilliant will suffice in this case.

[paul]

Nice work DD, appreciated mate.

[Penguin]

Looks like there is some serious shit going down at Fenerbahce with Diana Taurasi testing positive to the banned stimulant modafinil and Penny and Hana Horakova refusing to provide urine samples unless they are sent to a different lab.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/wnba/2011-01-03-513554204_x.htm

[Dunkin' Dan]

Yeah, I have been following this saga over the last couple of weeks. Some potentially interesting local ramifications from all of it today if this page is being google translated from Turkish remotely correctly

Penny Taylor wants to go!
Australian star Penny Taylor Sports women's basketball team's recent developments, it is uncomfortable and wants to leave the team was claimed

Taurasi'nin star basketball player who claims to not use the banned substance, his teammates "do not trust anything anymore. Therefore, I want to leave," he revealed. Besiktas Cola Turka kurada name, then the Taylor's struggle, knowing that he believed was received indicating the sample itself, the doping test of this idea also was reported to be behind its unwillingness to enter.

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=tr&tl=en&u=http://spor.milliyet.com.tr/penny-taylor-gitmek-istiyor-/spor/spordetay/04.01.2011/1334548/default.htm&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&usg=ALkJrhgdrt72WNr_m2Fe_2M05I3keV-CQg

[Penguin]

Thanks DD, i have been following it also, but hadn't seen that article.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Still nothing official from Diana's mouth, but it looks like she has spoken to Geno about it:

Diana Taurasi Tells UConn Women's Basketball Coach Geno Auriemma She's Innocent (http://blogs.courant.com/uconn_womens_basketball/2011/01/diana-taurasi-tells-geno-aurie.html)
Auriemma said. "All I know from talking to her, and she is devastated by all of this, is that she says she didn't take it. She said, 'Coach I didn't take that stuff and whatever they are saying, I didn't do it.' "

---

Whatever the outcome, it looks like Fenerbahce aren't waiting around for it to resolve itself. They have just signed up Angel McCoughtry.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Taurasi's positive 'B' sample test is now official.
She has been released by Fenerbahce (who obviously saw this coming the other day when they signed Angel McCoughtry)
http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=5994949
Pretty huge story for women's basketball.

Penny seems to be coping ok through all of this though.
She scored 31 points as she carried her team to an 89-83 win over Botas. No sign of her jumping ship.

[Penguin]

Should be interesting to see what plays out with Diana, but London has got to be looking doubtful.

Fener clearly aren't sticking by her, having signed Angel then terminated her contract. Angel should be a handy replacement, considering she dropped 39 against them last month.

My only fear is that Penny looks bad through association having resisted the drug test? Although, I think she was well within her rights to do so.

Will have to wait and see if she wants out. I reckon this has been her best season in Euroleague and hope she gets a chance to maintain her awesome form.

[Dunkin' Dan]

Penny no longer with Fenerbahce?

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fparsportu.lv%2Farticles%2F8%2F48301 %2F

[CornHusker]

LJ has returned to Canberra, with permission from Spartak, after suffering an acute Achilles tendon injury. She is having the injury assessed by the AIS doctors.

[Penguin]

I think this makes it official Penny is no longer at Fener...

"They say the truth can be stranger than fiction and you could easily argue this is the case when it comes to Fenerbahce right now. Who would have believed that by the time their final game of the Qualifying Round tipped-off, they would be unbeaten and yet waved goodbye to their two most important and high profile players in Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor?"


http://www.fibaeurope.com/cid_KNce8jInH7Qj1EsyH5rjn2.compID_jr6ZiXqeGhMBtfq1 yxqV83.coid_nhpRe87GGu-yv0KnAL-V73.articleMode_on.html

[Dunkin' Dan]

I was reading a dodgy translated Turkish article this morning that seemed to be saying that Penny had returned to oz due to her mum being quite ill. Anyone know anything about that?
If true, basketball is probably the farthest thing from her mind right now, but it could also open the door for a WNBL gig.

[hellcat]

According to a Basketball Australia media release, Penny will be returning to Melbourne this week to take a break due to personal reasons, including a family illness.

[kings thursday]

2 key points:

1) she doesn't qualify for wnbl finals, so methinks there is very little chance of her playing in the league atbthis point

2) no coincidence that both penny and diana leave the team at the same time. Do the math

[starfish]

I was just thinking today what a fantastic career Penny has had.

[Penguin]

SLAM ONLINE has ranked Penny number 9, in WNBA their top 20 for 2011 list.

http://www.slamonline.com/online/other-ballers/womens/2011/01/top-20-penny-taylor-no-9/comment-page-1/#comment-1463470

[Dunkin' Dan]

Congrats to Belinda Snell - Euroleague champion! :)

Halcon Avenidas 68 - Spartak Moscow 59

[Dunkin' Dan]

Good Friday Update:

Penny Taylor (Fenerbahçe, Turkish League)
10 games, 18.7 ppg @ 60%, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.6 spg.
Penny of course left Fenerbahçe at the time of the Taurasi drug scandal but was having an amazing season at the time. She has spent most of the subsequent time in Phoenix and should be refreshed and ready for a big WNBA season.

Hollie Grima (Aix en Provence, French League)
24 games, 15.9 ppg @ 50%, 6.8 rpg, 1.9 apg.
Aix finished 9-17 (12th out of 14 teams) and missed the playoffs, but Hollie had a pretty nice season personally.

Natalie Hurst (Aix en Provence, French League)
26 games, 14.1 ppg @ 47%, 3.7 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.6 spg, (2.4 t/o).
Nat came along nicely and was putting up some big numbers from Jan-March. Took care of the ball pretty well, and finished with a very healthy 42% from 3 point range.

Alicia Poto (Lattes Montpellier, French League)
21 games, 7.0 ppg @ 38%, 2.4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.1 spg, (1.0 t/o).
Lattes Montpellier finished 18-8 (4th), and are currently playing the 24-2 powerhouse, Bourges, in the semi finals. Interestingly, Bourges' 2 losses for the season were both against Montpellier, though that didn't matter to them last night as they thumped Poto's team 45-72 in game 1. Poto finished with 5 & 3.

Laura Summerton (Bracco Geas, Italian League)
28 games, 12.0 ppg @ 51%, 4.1 rpg, 0.5 apg, 1.4 spg.
Bracco Geas finished 14-8 (3rd place). Like Poto's team, Laura's is still alive in the playoffs but 1 game from elimination. After winning their quarter finals 2-1 they now trail 1-2 in the best-of-5 semis.
Laura was scoreless in the first 2 games, but had 15 & 5 to help her team win game 3.

Jenni Screen (Umana Venezia, Italian League)
7 games, 7.1 ppg @ 41%, 5.1 rpg, 1.7 apg, 3.0 spg.
Umana finished 11-11 (5th) but were swept out of the quarter finals.
I'm guessing Jenni must have been injured, because she missed a huge chunk of the season from early December to mid-March.

Sam Richards (Gorzow, Polish League)
32 games, 9.6 ppg @ 37%, 2.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.4 spg, (2.2 t/o).
Gorzow finished 18-6 (3rd), won their quarters, but went down 1-2 to 2nd-placed Polkowice in the semis.
Sam had a solid season but struggled to find her range from outside (13.5%).
Gorzow also participated in the Euroleague, with Sam putting up fairly similar numbers in her 8 games against the best in Europe, but her team went 2-6.

Erin Phillips (Wisła Can - Pack Kraków, Polish League)
29 games, 12.9 ppg @ 42%, 4.6 rpg, 3.9 apg, 2.4 spg, (2.0 t/o).
Wisla finished top of the ladder with a 22-2 record, and last weekend completed a 3-1 win in the Polish league finals.
The Eurobasket.com site recognised Erin with the following awards: Guard of the Year, Import Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Import 1st Team, All-League 1st Team.

Wisla also competed in the Euroleague, in which Erin's numbers were even higher:
13 games, 14.9 ppg @ 49%, 5.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 spg, (2.0 t/o).
Wisla made it through the 1/8 finals but were knocked out in the quarters.
Great season for Erin, which should set her up nicely for another crack at the WNBA.

Lauren Jackson (Spartak Vidnoe Moscow, Russian League)
Russian League: 7 games, 7.6 ppg @ 27%, 4.4 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.3 spg.
Euroleague: 7 games, 17.3 ppg @ 40%, 8.4 rpg, 0.3 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.6 bpg.
Lauren of course left Russia mid-season due to her achilles injury and has been chilling out in Australia for most of the year. A rested LJ is good news for the Seattle Storm as they attempt to defend their WNBA title.

Belinda Snell (Perfumerías Avenida, Spanish League)
Spanish League: 25 games, 9.1 ppg @ 45%, 2.8 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.1 spg, (1.9 t/o).
Euroleague: 16 games, 8.4 ppg @ 37%, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 spg, (1.9 t/o).
Perfumerías finished top of the ladder in the Spanish league with a 21-1 record and have won through to the finals, which start soon. They face the 23-3 Ros Casares team, and it should be a good series with both sides stacked with WNBA-calibre talent.
As I posted a couple of weeks ago, Perfumerías has already won the big one - the Euroleague championship, so Snelly has had a very successful season.

[Hit Girl]

Good numbers there from Nat Hurst.

She was also a dominant player for Canberra in their most recent championship wins.

She must be some sort of chance of being selected in the Olympics team ahead of the likes of Sam Richards & Alicia Poto.

Form in lead-up games will likely decide it but she's done what she can to put herself in contention.

[shotclock reset]

First off, thanks to Dunkin' Dan for compiling the stats.


Good numbers there from Nat Hurst.

She was also a dominant player for Canberra in their most recent championship wins.

She must be some sort of chance of being selected in the Olympics team ahead of the likes of Sam Richards & Alicia Poto.

Form in lead-up games will likely decide it but she's done what she can to put herself in contention.

I agree with much of what you've written above but Erin Phillips' European season is probably the stand-out effort amongst the guards listed. As Dan wrote, " . . .Wisla also competed in the Euroleague, in which Erin's numbers were even higher:
13 games, 14.9 ppg @ 49%, 5.1 rpg, 3.4 apg, 2.2 spg, (2.0 t/o).
Wisla made it through the 1/8 finals but were knocked out in the quarters.
Great season for Erin, which should set her up nicely for another crack at the WNBA.".

Although I'm a big fan of Poto and Richards, maybe time has marched on for them.

I still think Veal offers more PG 'bang for buck' in a single package (esp. on the defensive end) than Hurst, but at this stage, AFAIC they're both London bound.

Your last point raises the issue of how much visibility the Opals selectors actually have of the form of the Opals European contingent. I'm guessing they have almost zero visibility. Therefore, as you say, " . . . (f)orm in lead-up games will likely decide it . . .".

[Penguin]

The Phoenix Mercury website has just posted an interview with Penny

http://www.wnba.com/mercury/news/taylor_110428.html