Zaza Representing Georgia (EU)
One year after leading the Republic of Georgia to the Division B Championship at EuroBasket 2009, Zaza Pachulia is helping his homeland take the next step toward a berth in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Last summer Zaza helped Georgia earn their first promotion into Division A by scoring 17.9 points and grabbing 8.5 rebounds per game (including a 34 point outburst against the Slovak Republic) as the team went 9-1 on the way to the Championship. Now the team is trying to qualify for EuroBasket 2011, which will serve as a qualifier for the 2012 Olympics in London.
To qualify for EuroBasket 2011, Zaza and his Georgian teammates will need to win their Group outright, or finish as one of the two best second place teams in the tournament. (This chart shows the qualifying format.) Georgia is part of Group C, and will be competing against Poland, Portugal, Bulgaria and Belgium.
Zaza and the team got off to a great start on Monday, defeating Marcin “The Polish Hammer” Gortat and Poland by a final score of 84-65 (Full recap and Box Score). Pachulia led all scorers with 26 points and added 8 rebounds while limiting Gortat to just 10 points and 3 boards. Zaza’s 26 was tied for the second most on the first day of competition, trailing only the Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng, who scored 32 for Great Britain.
The Republic of Georgia remains a longshot to make the Olympics in 2012, but Zaza is helping the team reach uncharted territory with their recent accomplishments. The elevation to Division A sent fans into a frenzy last summer, and qualifying for EuroBasket 2011 would have to be considered one of the greatest athletic accomplishments in the country’s history.
Zaza and his teammates continue their quest to make history on Thursday when they take on Belgium.
ANOTHER GATOR
Zaza has been listening to one Florida Alum brag about back-to-back NCAA Championships for three years now, but this is the first time he will continue to get an earful while competing overseas. Taurean Green, point guard on Al Horford’s teams at the University of Florida, gained citizenship in Georgia this past June and started against Poland on Monday.
WORTH NOTING
Sergii Gladyr, the Hawks second round pick in 2009 and recent participant on Atlanta’s Summer League team, is playing for the Ukraine in the same tournament. He scored 8 points and pulled down 11 boards in his team’s first game, a 71-58 loss to F.Y.R. of Macedonia.
Just testing the comment area
http://www.balleralert.com/profiles/blogs/baller-alert-exclusive-josh
Josh Smith Wedding. Its so beautiful.
Ooh the bride is beautiful.
zaza scored 26 damn whats got in to him just want to say thanks for the pics of josh wedding
joe is on mto. go zaza just make sure you bring that back here Z.
report shaq is close to signing with celtics they did say we were close to signing shaq so its not offical
we have to sign kwame brown if we dont we a little and soft team with only two big man zaza and collins look bigz then dwight boozer and noah shaq jarmane and perkins when he back and bugot
im sorry zach but i never disagreed with u before but what? what can kwame do? nothing if we shoul sign that 7 footer from utah watever his name is. but kwame noooo!!!
these are the big man we can get that is good nobody
zaza must be in the starting line-up for every single match:))) he’s got enough potential;)
i was on nba free agent traker and i found people we can sign josh booone good rebounder joel probilla good blocker i guy that the hawks are very inrested in kwame brown dont know what he does and anthony tolliver a guy who gets posterrize
other guys we can sign earl barron and may sean a big body that can bang so lets not worry about shaq
does shaq have a sixpack and i saw a picture of jason collins and he has lost lots of weight they said he got more mucsel
He is still weak slow and as lacadaisical as teague
i was just wondering
Dang Zach you should be the new Ast.GM.
i get that alot but even if i was a gm i would no tell you guys nothing i would keep it a secret and i would rather be a hawks insider
josh boone is a great rebounder one game agianst the hawks he had 22 rebounds earl barron good guy he was in the dleage then he went to new york and averaged 11.0 points and he also a good rebounder 11.0 to need any questions ask me
other guys we can get louise anmundson and chris wilcox and also chris hunter sean may has a big body but he like jassin collins speaking of him we can get his brother jarron collons just wanted to update yall need any queistions ask me
its Safe to say weve dropped in the east
1:Miami
2:Orlando
3:chigago
4:Boston(If their Delonte West Offer falls through)
5:New York
6:Atlanta
We need to do something
Wrong. We’re still the 3rd best team in the East, regualr seasonwise at least. New York is no where near better than us, we finished better than Boston and they can’t beat us head to head, chicago got better but Boozer is completely guardable and can’t match Al and Josh’s atleticism. Hawks are still the 3 best team in the east behind Orlando and Miami but we’ll be the 5th seed bc confrence winners are guaranteed a top 4 seed.
1)Orlando
2)Miami
3)Boston
4)Chicago
5)Hawks(But will have a better record than Bos and Chi)
6)Bucks
7)Cavs/Knicks/Bobcats
8)Cavs/Knicks/Bobcats
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
did somebody still my name hawksfanman welcomeback you havent talked in weeks anyway i want to know who stoll my name because im about to call the police on somebody
anyway hawksfanman your starting linups are wack just because celtics signed shaq dont meen it will make them better it just makes them older here is mine
1heat big three
2magic dwight is very hard to stop
3bulls i can see a pick n roll with boozer and rose
4hawks if we just win sime home games we can win
5celtics they are old but they have a good bench and espn siads big for yay kevin ray paul and rajon
6 bucks they are a great young team that can play
7knicks amre and raymaon felton is not good as nash and amere but its good
8wizards now yall mite think im crazy but watch and see wizardsmite shock the everyone john wall they can trade gilbert and josh howard kirk hiric and javal mcgee oh and andre blatch
zach whats your last name
good mourning guys did anybody get a ivantion to lorezen wright funarol becuase they were leting every body in i have not look at my rumors yet which im about to go do and i just want update yall that is now off the trade block golden state wanted him and mike for monta ellis and brandon wright but hawks had joe and jamal and they wanted to start teage at point anyway got to go im going on trade machine to if we can get tj ford and mike dunlevny need question ask me
that marvin off the trade block
hear is my opinion on what the starting line up should be
1.teague,jamal,or jordan
2.Jamal
3.johnson
4.smith
5.horford
Atlanta please sign jerry stackhouse and josh boone. if charolette waives erick dampier do a sign and trade with marvin for him and larry hughes
report Atlanta moving al horford to power foward