International High School Basketball Competition

Global Games intro, US roster and schedule are here.

Large USA Basketball-related articles are here.

First, final standings and daily scores. Then, daily recaps.

2003 GLOBAL GAMES FINAL STANDINGS: W-L
1. United States 5-0
2. Global Games Select 3-2
3. Serbia-Montenegro 4-1
4. Canada 2-3
5. Lithuania 3-2
6. Puerto Rico 2-3
7. Ukraine 2-3
8. Africa 2-3
9. Scandinavia 2-3
10. Brazil 0-5

Sunday, June 29
Puerto Rico 99, Scandinavia 85
Serbia-Montenegro 121, Brazil 69

Monday, June 30
Canada 73, Africa 65
Scandinavia 84, Ukraine 66
Global Games Select 104, Puerto Rico 93
USA 79, Lithuania 63

Tuesday, July 1
Ukraine 95, Brazil 89
Canada 98, Scandinavia 71
Africa 62, Lithuania 53
Serbia-Montenegro 84, Puerto Rico 74
USA 97, Global Games Select 77

Wednesday, July 2
Lithuania 98, Canada 97
Serbia-Montenegro 90, Ukraine 70
Global Games Select 106, Brazil 69
USA 97, Africa 69

Thursday, July 3
Lithuania 70, Ukraine 52
Africa 66, Scandinavia 64
Puerto Rico 73, Brazil 57
Global Games Select 94, Serbia-Montenegro 87
USA 102, Canada 71

Saturday, July 5
9th/10th Place: Scandinavia 77, Brazil 66
7th/8thPlace: Ukraine 81, Africa 70
5th/6th Place: Lithuania 114, Puerto Rico 78
Bronze Medal Game: Serbia-Montenegro 87, Canada 81
Gold Medal Game: USA 104, Global Games Select 80

DAILY RECAPS:

June 30, 2003: Puerto Rico, Scandinavia Kick Off First Round of Global Games

Dallas, Texas- The 2003 Coca-Cola Global Games began today at Southern Methodist University Moody Coliseum, with Puerto Rico defeating Scandinavia, 99-85. Verdejo Jesus led Puerto Rico with 22 points. Kaunisto Ville had 14 points for the Scandinavian team.

The next round of action for the Puerto Ricans will be on Monday at 6 p.m. against the Global Games Select team. The Scandinavians will face Ukraine Monday at 4 p.m. Other games on Monday will include; Canada vs. Africa at 2 p.m., and USA vs. Lithuania at 8 p.m. All games take place at Moody Coliseum.

Yugoslavia Dominates Brazil

Dallas, Texas- Yugoslavia blasted past Brazil, 123-67, during the second round of action at the 2003 Coca-Cola Global Games at SMU Moody Coliseum. The Yugoslavians led 50-32 at halftime and never trailed in the second half. Mladen Slijavancanin led the Yugoslavian team with 20 points. Pinto Vinicius was the leading scorer for Brazil with 19 points. Yugoslavia will play Puerto Rico at 6 p.m Tuesday evening. Brazil will face Ukraine Tuesday at 12 p.m.

Games of Monday, June 30, 2003:

Canada Opens Up With Win Over Africa

Dallas, Texas- Team Canada was successful in winning their first game at the 2003 Coca-Cola Global Games by a score of 71-67 over Africa. Shane James led Canada in scoring with 16 points, and Boubacor Coly was Africa’s leading scorer with 15 points.

Next up for the Canadian team will be Scandinavia, Tuesday, July 1, at 2 p.m. Africa’s next opponent will be Ukraine Tuesday at 4 p.m.

Scandinavia Defeats Ukraine

The Scandinavian team won its first game ever in Global Games history with a win over Ukraine, 87-65. Olafur Ingvason led Scandinavia with 24 points. Sachava Yevgen provided the highlights for Ukraine by scoring 15 points.

On Tuesday, July 1, the Scandinavians will play against Canada at 2 p.m., and Ukraine will face Brazil, who did not play today, at 12 p.m.

Global Games Select Dominates Puerto Rico

The defending champs, Global Games Select, got off to a strong start by defeating Puerto Rico 104-93. The Select team, led by Ft. Worth Dunbar star Jeremis Smith and Kansas freshman J. R. Giddens. never trailed against Puerto Rico. Smith registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds (in addition to three steals and two blocks). Giddens finished with 25 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Jose Barea continued his prolific Global Games scoring performances with 35 pts. With the loss to Global Games Select, Puerto Rico falls to 0-2 in the tournament.

Global Games Select will face USA Basketball Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. Puerto Rico is up against Yugoslavia at 6p.m.

USA Takes First Win at Global Games

The USA Junior World team won their first game at the 2003 Coca-Cola Global Games against Lithuania, 79-63. Team USA was led by Daniel Brown and Paul Davis, both of whom scored 11 points. Lithuania leading scorer was Alvaidas Gedminas with 21 points.

Lithuania will play Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. against Africa. Team USA will battle for a win against the other American team, Global Games Select, at 8 p.m.

Games of Wednesday, July 2, 2003

Close Call for Lithuania

Dallas, Texas- Lithuania pulled out a close win over Canada by a score of 98-97. Tristan Blackwood of Canada had 26 points, and was 4 of 5 from the free-throw line. Aurimas Kieza had 15 points for Lithuania. Southern Methodist University’s Donatas Rackauskas also had 15 points coming off the bench.

Lithuania plays against Ukraine tomorrow, Thursday, July 3, at 12 p.m., and Canada will face undefeated USA at 8 p.m.

Yugoslavia Rolls Over Ukraine

The team from Yugoslavia defeated Ukraine 90-70, today at the Coca-Cola Global Games at Southern Methodist University’s Moody Coliseum. Luka Bogdanovic had 30 points and 10 rebounds. Bogdanovic outscored the entire Ukrainian bench, as Yugoslavia’s record improves to 2-0. Lev Zagaynov led Ukraine with 17 points.

On Thursday, July 3, the undefeated Yugoslavia will play the Global Games Select team at 6 p.m., and Ukraine is up against Lithuania at 12 p.m.

Global Games Select Dominates Brazil

After a disappointing loss to USA Tuesday evening, the Global Games Select team bounced back tonight to take a huge win against Brazil, 106-69, at the Coca-Cola Global Games. LaMarcus Aldridge led Global Games Select with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Dez Willingham was a perfect 4 of 4 at the free-throw line, and completed 3 of 4 in 3-point shooting. Marcos Vieira was the leading scorer for Brazil with 13 points, and was 3 of 4 from the free-throw line. The win improves Global Games Select’s record to 2-1 in the tournament.

Global Games Select will play Yugoslavia Thursday evening at 6 p.m., and Brazil faces Puerto Rico at 4 p.m.

USA Takes Another Win

USA Basketball continued its winning streak tonight against the team from Africa, 97-69. This marks USA’s third consecutive win in the tournament, advancing to 3-0 overall. Maurice Ager had 21 points, and six total rebounds for USA. Jeff Varem was the leading scorer from Africa with 20 total points, and seven rebounds.

USA will play Thursday evening at 8 p.m. against Canada, and Afica will face Scandinavia tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m.

Games of Thursday, July 3, 2003:

Lithuania Improves to 2-2

Dallas, Texas- In the kickoff game of the day at the Coca-Cola Global Games, Lithuania defeated Ukraine, 70-52. Aurimas Kieza was the leading scorer for Lithuania with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Artem Shvets scored 13 points, as Ukraine shot a paltry 28% from the field.

Africa Takes Lead Within Minutes to Win

Team Africa had a close call, but was able to win in the final minutes against Scandinavia, 66-64, at the Coca-Cola Global Games. Soloman Tat and Churchill Odia each had 16 points. Scandinavia’s Helgi Magnusson scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds. The loss drops Scandinavia to 1-3 overall in the tournament and improves Africa’s record to 2-2.

Brazil Overturned Again

Puerto Rico defeated Brazil 73-57 in the third game of the day at the Coca-Cola Global Games. Jesus Verdejo continued to show why John Chaney is so excited about him at Temple. He led Puerto Rico with 20 points. Brazil’s Caio Torres connected with 17 points and seven rebounds. Brazil finished pool play with a disappointing 0-4 record. Puerto Rico upped their record to 2-2 and secured a spot in the fifth place game on Saturday.

Global Games Select Upsets Yugoslavia

Recovering from a 20 point deficit during the first half, the Global Games Select team came back to defeat the heavily favored Yugoslavians, 94-87. Before the loss, Yugoslavia was 3-0 and appeared headed for a gold medal showdown with USA Basketball. However, the upstart Global Games Select team provided a detour and will face USA Basketball in the first all-USA championship match-up. Global Games Select was led by two of the younger players in the tournament, LaMarcus Aldridge, who delivered 22 points and 15 rebounds and Jeremis Smith who had another strong all-around game with 12 pts., 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 assists. J.R. Giddens put in his bid for tournament MVP with 18 points, and 15 rebounds. Ivanw Koljevic led the Yugos with 38 points, five rebounds, and five assists.

USA Devours Canada

Team USA remained undefeated with a 102-71 win against our neighbors to the north, Canada. Kevin Pittsnogel led USA with 24 points, six rebounds, and was 7 of 10 from the free-throw line. Silver Laku from Canada was the leading scorer with 16 points, and 5 of 7 in field-goals. Former Colony great, Deron Williams chipped in with 16 points for the USA.

2003 Coca-Cola Global Games Medal Rounds

Saturday, July 5, 2003

12:00 p.m. Brazil vs. Scandinavia (9th place game)
2:00 p.m. Ukraine vs. Africa (7th place game)
4:00 p.m. Puerto Rico vs. Lithuania (5th place game)
6:00 p.m. Yugoslavia vs. Canada (Bronze medal game)
8:00 p.m. USA vs. Global Games Select (Gold medal game)

Full 2003 Global Games championship game recap - click here.

Games of Saturday, July 5, 2003

Brazil tops Scandinavia for its First Win in Tournament

Dallas, Texas- The medal rounds of the Coca-Cola Global Games began with Brazil defeating Scandinavia, 77-66. With the win, Brazil finishes in 9th place, and Scandinavia drops to 10th place overall in the tournament. Andre Olivera paced Brazil with 19 total points, 11 rebounds, and four steals. Helgi Magnusson capped off his five-game run as the tournament’s scoring leader (23.4 ppg) by scoring 30 points and grabbing four rebounds for the Scandinavians, who finished the competition with a 1-4 record.

Ukraine Takes 7th Place in Coca-Cola Global Games

Team Africa fell to Ukraine 81-70. With the loss, Africa finishes the 2003 tournament in eighth place. Dmytro Shevchenko led the Ukraine’s with 21 points and three assists. Africa’s Boubacar Coly was the leading scorer with 21 points. Jeff Varem, also from Africa and headed to play for Washington State in the fall, set a Coca-Cola Global Games tournament record for steals with 19..

Lithuania Prevails Over Puerto Rico

Lithuania was never challenged by Puerto Rico in the fifth place game. The Lithuanians jumped to a 17-point half-time lead and never looked back. The final score was 114-78. The win improved Lithuania’s tournament record to 3-2. Puerto Rico dropped to 2-3. Lithuania had three players score in double figures-- Matas Niparavicius, (24 pts.) Andrius Petkunas (22 pts.), and Aurim Kieza (20 pts.). Jose Barea of Puerto Rico (and Northeastern University) posted another strong outing with 15 points, and seven assists.

Canada Loses a Tough One to Global Games Favorite

Yugoslavia bounced back from its upset loss to the Global Games Select squad by defeating Canada 87-81 in the Bronze medal game. Yugoslavia’s leading scorer was Ivanw Koljevic with his second straight 38 point game. Luka Bogdanovic continued his strong all-around play with 12 rebounds and 20 points. For Canada, Shane James scored 27 points and grabbed six rebounds. Yugoslavia finished the 2003 Coca-Cola Global Games with a 4-1 record. Canada’s final record stands at 2-3.

USA Basketball Wins First Coca-Cola Global Games Gold

Once again, USA Basketball proved too quick, and too strong for the upstart Global Games Select team. USA Basketball’s 104-80 win in the gold medal game was its second victory of the week over the Select squad. Daniel Brown led USA with 18pts. and laid claim to the title of the quickest player in America. Kevin Pittsnogel continued his strong play by scoring 14 points, and grabbing eight rebounds. J.R. Giddens was Select’s leading scorer with 19 points. Jeremis Smith, who in August will begin his senior year of high school at Ft. Worth Dunbar, chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds. USA Basketball finished the tournament with a 5-0 record, the Select team at 3-2.

Full 2003 Global Games championship game recap - click here.

Giddens and Williams headline 2003 Coca-Cola Global Games All-Tournament Team

Former Colony High School star and current University of Illinois starter Deron Williams of USA Basketball and Kansas freshman J.R. Giddens of the Global Games Select squad were named the 2003 Coca-Cola Global Games co-MVPs. Williams displayed his strong court presence and clutch decision-making throughout the tournament. Giddens served notice to the Big 12 that he will be a force sooner rather than later.

Coca-Cola Global Games All-Tournament Team:

USA: Paul Davis

Global Games Select: LaMarcus Aldridge, Jeremis Smith

Yugoslavia: Ivanw Koljevic, Kosta Perovic

Canada: Tristan Blackwood

Brazil: Marcus Souza

Puerto Rico: Jose Barea

Africa: Jeff Veram

Lithuania: Matas Niparavicius

2003 Coca-Cola Global Games Co-MVP Awards

Global Games Select: J.R. Giddens
USA: Deron Williams