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Day: 27 March 2022

Mixed bag for Roca Team following hectic weekend schedule

by: Luke Entwistle
27/03/2022

Three games in as many days yielded contrasting results for AS Monaco Basketball. Out of the French Basketball Cup, they can now concentrate on securing an increasingly likely Euroleague play-off spot.

Victory over Spanish side Baskonia on Friday rarely looked in doubt (78-68). Whilst the usual suspects (Donatas Motiejūnas, Mike James) underperformed relative to their recent high standards, more peripheral players stepped up when needed most.

Will Thomas finished as top scorer on the night with 16, whilst Dwayne Bacon (14) and Donta Hall (10) also impressed. Hall, who had 100% accuracy on the night, has a particular knack of getting fans to their feets, his emphatic dunks and impressive defensive blocks punctuate games like exclamation marks.

Alpha Diallo (10) also impressed, and in light of a quieter performance from James, also took up the role as playmaker. The match was decided during another spectacular second-quarter (24-13), as Sasa Obradovic’s men managed the game through the second-half.

Monaco’s star performer on the night Thomas told Monaco Life that he believes the side are in a good position to secure the play-off position. “We are in a better rhythm, a better mood as a team. The guys are playing really well together on both ends of the floor.” The American continued, “I think it’s in our hands (play-off qualification). We just need to win the next two games, or at least just one of them and we’ll see what happens.”

As Obradovic pointed out, however, his side isn’t over the line just yet. “We have two games to go. These will be two finals.” A trip to Milan and a finale at home to Alba Berlin stand between Monaco and a Euroleague play-off spot. Should they secure it, it will be an impressive feat for a team that are making their debut in the top division of European basketball this season.

Monaco didn’t fare as well in the domestic cup competition. Playing their second game in less than 24 hours, there was understandably a great degree of squad rotation. However, it was Paris Lee (16) and Hall (12), both of whom were prominent in the game against Baskonia, who were pivotal against Bourg-en-Bresse as the Roca Team secured their semi-final place in Angers (74-65).

Danilo Andjusic (12) and Yakuba Outtara (10) were also impressive, the performance of the former was especially noteworthy given that it was his first match back following injury. Victory ensured that Monaco would play a gruelling third match in as many days. Those hours in transit and on the court eventually caught up with them.

A second-half collapse, and subsequent overtime mauling saw Monaco fall out of the competition at the doors of the final (86-73). Having constructed a 12-point lead during the opening two-quarters, Obradovic’s men lost control of the match after half-time, and although Outtara took the game to overtime in the dying seconds, it wasn’t enough. Monaco had run out of steam, their exhaustion reflected in the 16-3 scoreline in the overtime period. Although undoubtedly disappointed not to reach next month’s domestic cup final, the Roca Team’s season is far from over.

On course for the play-offs in their domestic division, Monaco could also put themselves on the brink of European play-off qualification with a win in Milan on Wednesday.

 

 

Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball

 

 

 

 

 

Saudi GP to go ahead despite missile attack, Leclerc starts in 2nd

by: Luke Entwistle
27/03/2022

The metaphorical political cloud that lingered over the beginning of the 2022 F1 season turned literal on Friday, as cars raced on amidst a backdrop of black smoke emanating from a destroyed oil depot. 

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the missile attack, which took place less than 10 miles from the Jeddah Circuit. The billowing black smoke engulfed the sky, and could even be smelt by drivers, who were participating in the first free practice session.

Current World Champion Max Verstappen could be heard asking over team radio, “I can smell burning… is it my car?” Friday’s second free practice session was subsequently delayed by 15 minutes, whilst drivers discussed whether they wished to continue racing long into the night.

The Grand Prix Drivers Association (GDPA) released a statement on Saturday detailing the outcome of that discussion, which is thought to have lasted four hours, and only finished at 2:30am local time.

The statement read, “It has been a difficult day for F1 and a stressful day for us F1 drivers… On seeing the smoke from the incident, it was difficult to remain a fully-focused race driver and erase natural human concerns.”

The GDPA statement then went on to detail the assurances given by F1 and Saudi government ministers before reaching their conclusion. “The outcome (from the talks) was a resolution that we would practise, qualify today and race tomorrow. We therefore hope that the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will be remembered as a good race rather than for the incident that took place yesterday.”

This was then followed by a joint statement from F1 and the FIA confirming that “the 2022 FIA F1 Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will continue as scheduled.” It added that “extensive discussions between all stakeholders” had yielded assurances regarding the security of the event.

The build-up to the new F1 season has been shrouded in controversy. Following the cancellation of the Russian Grand Prix, there were further calls for the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix, this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and the season finale in the United Arab Emirates. These calls were based on those states’ continued involvement in the Yemeni war.

Saudi Arabia faces allegations of indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Yemen. Against this backdrop, their hosting of an F1 race is seen as legitimising the purported atrocities of the Saudi regime.

It could be seen as falling under the category of “sportswashing”, where nefarious actors, often states, use the hosting of events, such as an F1 race, or as Russia did in 2018 with a World Cup, in cleaning their global image.

In only the second race in Saudi Arabia, you could argue that the regime’s attempts of sportswashing have failed, as the rising cloud of black smoke sullied the Saudi sky and shone the spotlight on the ongoing conflict in the region.

For now, F1 has decided to race on through the crisis, although it remains to be seen whether there will be a change in strategy regarding its race selection process. The latest crisis will inevitably precipitate a discussion about F1’s pick and choose policy regarding its response to state terrorism. Regardless of what happens on-track on Sunday, this race weekend will inevitably be remembered for what happened off it.

After claiming top spot on Friday, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was just edged out of pole position on Saturday as Sergio Perez snatched a first career pole in the final moments with the pair split by just two-hundredths of a second. Carlos Sainz will start Sunday’s Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in third, making it a Ferrari 2-3. The race starts at 7pm Monaco time.

 

Photo source: Scuderia Ferrari Media Centre