Cyprus basketball preseason heats up

THE basketball season in Cyprus heats up as the teams announce their first friendly games and tournament participations while at the same time arrival of the new signings to the island is in the full swing.

YDRA Asphalistiki ENAD signed three more international players for the upcoming season in two Americans, power forward Jarhon Giddings and center Grlenntys Chief Kickingstallionsims Jr. who is a Native American Indian, and Serbian small forward Danijel Cavic. Both Americans have no previous European experience and the time will show if it was a good move to bring them in by the Ayios Domethios team, while Cavic played the last season in Croatia. His older brother Milorad is the swimming world champion in the 50 m butterfly after winning the event at the recently finished 2009 World Aquatics Championships in Rome.

Frederick Achilleas Kaimakliou agreed terms with the American center Omar Barlett who spent the last four seasons in the Polish top league playing for Energa Czarni Slupsk. At the same time the Kaimakli team parted ways with the Serbian center Aleksandar Djuric due to family problems.

Omonoia Nicosia resigned the Serbian small forward Vladimir Zaric for another season, while there are indications that they will also bring back American combo guard Brandon Jenkins and the Lithuanian point guard Linas Juknevicius.

The ruling champions APOEL Nicosia agreed financial terms with the national team guard Iraklis Pittakas, while BMC AEK Larnaca inked the Croatian center Alen Trepalovac who was already their member in 2007-08.

Pizza Express PrimeTel Apollon signed the Cypriot guard Giannis Ioannides who spent the last season in the Cypriot A2 with Dighenis Akritas Morfou and American point guard Steve Burtt who successfully played in Spain, Israel and Italy over the past few years.

The first official chance to display their talents will have AEL, APOEL, Frederick Achilleas Kaimakliou and Pizza Express PrimeTel Apollon at the traditional 5th Zivanario Tournament at the Lefkotheo Indoor Arena in Nicosia that will be played on Thursday and Friday this coming week.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.