Mario Chalmers’ Virtus Bologna team to play in Final Four of Basketball Champions League
Former Kansas basketball guard Mario Chalmers’ Virtus Bologna (Italy) team has advanced to the Basketball Champions League Final Four.
Virtus Bologna will meet Brose Bamberg (Germany) in one semifinal, while Iberostar Tenerife (Spain) will take on Telenet Giants Antwerp (Belgium) in the other semifinal on Friday in Antwerp.
Winners will advance to Sunday’s championship game.
Chalmers, who played on KU’s 2008 NCAA title team and won a pair of NBA titles with the Miami Heat, finds himself in the Final Four in his first season playing overseas.
“It’s a great opportunity, not only for me but for the whole team,” the 6-foot-2, 32-year-old Chalmers told Eurohoops.net. “I feel good. The team did a great job getting here. I’m trying to add my experience and do what I can to help the team win,” Chalmers added.
He said he will advise his teammates to “just enjoy the moment.”
“The biggest thing for us coming out here is not letting the pressure on us. Play hard, play together. Never get too hot. Never get too down. Make the right plays,” Chalmers stated.
Chalmers joined the squad in March. He averages 8.0 points and 3.2 assists a game.
Rush, Chalmers to play 3-on-3
Chalmers and former KU teammate Brandon Rush were each selected in the three-round BIG3 Draft on Wednesday in Las Vegas.
The BIG3, a 3-on-3 pro basketball summer league consisting of 12 teams, is set to begin its third season this summer. The league, which will have its games shown on CBS (Saturdays and Sundays starting June 22 through mid-August) was founded by rapper/writer/actor Ice Cube.
The 6-foot-6 Rush, 33, was selected by the Aliens with the No. 8 pick of the second round. Chalmers was chosen by the 3-Headed Monsters with the No. 2 pick of the third round. There were 10 picks in each round.
Members of the Aliens: Rush, Shannon Brown, Greg Oden, Andre Owens, Kendrick Perkins and Robert Vaden. Nate Archibald is coach.
Members of the 3-Headed Monsters: Chalmers, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Reggie Evans, Rashard Lewis, Larry Sanders and Tre Simmons. Gary Payton is coach.
Former KU player Drew Gooden is co-captain of the 3’s Company team.
Josh Elias of thescorecrow.com had this to say about Rush’s team: “This team looks to be a good mix of bully-ball in the paint and stretching the floor with perimeter players who can shoot. The big name they picked up was Oden, who is, of course, most known for his durability problems with the Portland Trail Blazers. While we never got to see him dominate the NBA like many hoped, he’s now a few years removed from his time in the league and the 7-footer is looking to prove he can be a productive and healthy player at a professional level.
“Between Brown, Owens, and Rush, this team combines for six NBA seasons with a three-point percentage above 40% and that floor spacing will be crucial.”
Elias wrote of Chalmers’ team: “Despite being without Lewis for most of the year with a torn Achilles, the 3-Headed Monsters still had a largely successful season. They finished off the season on a poor note though, losing the semifinal, 50-28, largely thanks to awful defending. It was just six years ago that Larry Sanders was a fringe contender for defensive player of the year in the NBA. Still just 30, he should have a huge impact in the paint alongside Evans and will be an early favorite to challenge Chris Andersen for defensive player of the year.”
BIG3 teams do not represent any specific cities. Games are played at various venues in various cities throughout the season. This season, the league will expand from 10 to 12 teams and visit two cities each week — playing three games in each city. The league featured a two-week postseason last August.
Ellis won’t attend Duke after all
Boogie Ellis, a 6-3 senior point guard from Mission Bay High School in San Diego, on Thursday was released from his letter of intent at Duke, Zagsblog.com reported.
Ellis, the No. 42-rated player in the recruiting class of 2019 by Rivals.com, who has re-opened his recruitment, has already heard from coaches from Kansas, Washington, Georgetown, Virginia, Arizona, Oregon, Gonzaga, Memphis, UCLA and Vanderbilt according to Zagsblog. Ellis initially chose Duke over Memphis, North Carolina, USC and San Diego State.
Ellis may have been concerned about the fact Tre Jones has decided to return for his sophomore season. Also, the Blue Devils last week signed Cassius Stanley, a 6-5 guard, who chose the Blue Devils over KU, UCLA and Oregon.
Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi said Ellis will actually move past No. 33-rated Stanley in Rivals.com’s final rankings to be released next week.
“The biggest problem for Duke during the 2018-19 season was a lack of perimeter jump shooters. Jump shooting is Ellis’ forte and he would have been key in making that weakness a strength,” Bossi wrote Thursday.
“Expect a full-on feeding frenzy for the services of Ellis now that he will be back on the market. He’s a pure scorer who can play the 1 or 2. He shoots very well from deep and he’s gotten a little bigger and more athletic during his senior season. The chance to play the majority of his minutes at the point guard is expected to be a big factor when he makes his choice the second time around,” Bossi added.
“He’s the ultimate hard worker, competitor and great teammate,” Oakland Soldiers AAU coach Loren Leath said of Ellis to Zagsblog.com. “And he he can shoot the lights out.”
This story was originally published May 2, 2019 at 7:19 PM.